Into The Nothing
by phoenixwritesSPN
Summary: SEQUEL TO ELASTIC HEART: After a tragic loss, Victoria Anderson, along with the Winchester brothers, must deal with their grief as well as string of unexpected occurrences leading to something neither one of them are prepared to deal with - or willing to accept... [Dean/OFC] *s2* (Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.)
1. In My Time of Dying

**Season two is here! Yay! I'm super excited to be moving this story along and I hope you guys are, too! I just want to start off by admitting that Elastic Heart wasn't really thought out very well all the time in my opinion, so I hope I can do better with that in the rest of the story.**

 **Now that's out of the way, go ahead and read now lol :D**

* * *

 _No time for goodbye, he said  
As he faded away  
Don't put your life in someone's hands  
They're bound to steal it away  
Don't hide your mistakes  
'Cause they'll find you, burn you  
Then he said_

 _If you wanna get out alive_  
 _Run for your life_  
 _If you wanna get out alive_  
 _Run for you life_

 _This is my last time, she said_  
 _As she faded away_  
 _It's hard to imagine_  
 _But one day you'll end up like me_  
 _Then she said_

 _If you wanna get out alive_  
 _Run for your life_  
 _If you wanna get out alive_  
 _Run for you life_  
 _If you wanna get out alive_  
 _Run for your life_  
 _If you wanna get out alive_  
 _Run for you life_

 _If I stay, it won't be long  
Till I'm burning on the inside  
If I go, I can only hope  
That I'll make it to the other side _

**Three Days Grace – Get Out Alive**

* * *

The ringing in my ears was so loud, it almost felt like my brain was going to explode. I cautiously racked my eyes open, seeing a hazy figure standing over me, everything behind them blown out in white light. I could hear a voice speaking, but it's was echoing to the point where I couldn't understand the words completely.

This went one for a few more minutes until it leaned down, placing a hand on my forehead – it's voice suddenly clear as day.

"No. You're not done yet."

* * *

My eyes snapped open as I let out a loud gasp, taking in the bright day around me. I stared up at the blue sky above me, hearing the loud sounds of a helicopter landing in the distance, feeling the violent wind whip around me. It was then that I realized what was really going on, looking around to see that I was partially strapped onto a stretcher.

I glanced behind me to see more paramedics placing Sam onto another stretcher beside the wrecked car as he asked if the rest of us were okay before looking back in front of me, seeing a few more paramedics wheel Dean and John towards the helicopter on stretchers. I kept my eyes on Dean for a few moments, noticing how still he was.

"Are they okay?!" I asked frantically, fear flowing though me as I tried to sit up.

The paramedic next to me gently pushed me back down. "You have to stay still."

"I'm fine! Tell me if they're okay!" I shouted.

"You need to relax, okay?" She said. I felt the panic wash over me as she placed a hand on my shoulder to still me without giving me an answer.

What if they were already gone?

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – DAY**

After the test results came back, it was in fact true that I was absolutely fine – save for a few scratches and cuts here and there. They told me they'd expected me to be in much worse condition, mostly because my head had smacked into the window hard enough to shatter it completely. Needless to say, they were all pretty shocked. I was even a little baffled. I really had no idea how I wasn't hurt at all.

One of the more upbeat nurses chalked it up to me having a really great guardian angel, but that was obviously ridiculous.

Moments passed and I noticed it was almost like some of them were waiting for me to form some sort of life threatening injury, but after a little bit of insisting on my part, they allowed me to get up and walk around with Sam to go see Dean.

"Maybe you shouldn't do this right now." Sam mumbled as we walked down the long hallway.

"Sam, what do you think is gonna happen? My head's just gonna break?" I asked, glancing up at him. "I need to see Dean."

"I know that, I know." Sam nodded, letting out a sigh. "It's just- Tori, I've already seen him. I could barely handle it. I just- I don't think it's something you're gonna want to look at."

"I have to be with him Sam." I muttered, looking down. "Even if he doesn't know I'm there."

With a deep breath, I stepped into Dean's room, my knees buckling slightly as I stared over at him laying unconscious on the hospital bed, breathing tubes sticking out of his mouth.

* * *

 **DPOV**

I couldn't believe what I was looking at. Standing next to the hospital bed, staring down at my unconscious self laying there with a bunch of tubes shoved down my throat. I heard footsteps behind me, turning around to see Tori walk in, Sam trailing behind her.

"Oh, good. You're okay." I muttered, smiling over at her as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Oh my god."

"Tori?" I asked, walking beside her, waving a hand in front of her face. "Tori! Come on, tell me you can hear me..."

She didn't move at all, just staring straight ahead at the hospital bed.

I let out a sigh, looking back at Sam. "How's dad? Is he okay? Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!"

Sam wrapped an arm around Tori's back as they took a few more steps into the room. I followed by Tori's side, watching as she placed a gentle hand on my arm. Her eyes darted over to me for a split second, but she shook her head, looking back down as a doctor walked in.

"Your father's awake. You can go see him if you like."

"Thank god." I muttered, feeling slightly relieved.

"What about Dean?" Tori asked quickly.

"Well, he sustained serious injury. Blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney. But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema."

"What can we do?" Sam asked.

"Well, we won't know his full condition until he wakes up." The doctor muttered, glancing to the ground for a moment before looking back up at them. "If he wakes up."

" _If_?" Tori repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean, _if_?"

"I have to be honest most people with this degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. He's fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations."

"Oh, screw you, I'm waking up." I snapped.

"My expectations are _very_ realistic." Tori said, glancing over at my body still laying on the bed. "I know Dean...and he's waking up."

"That's my girl. You tell him." I nodded. "Come on, guys. Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me." Sam and Tori shared a sad looked, both of them letting out heavy sighs before leaving the room.

"Guys?"

* * *

 **JOHN'S ROOM – DAY  
** **TPOV**

John sat up in his hospital bed, his arm in a sling as Sam and I stood at his bedside. We'd told him about Dean – what was going on with him and the whole time John did nothing but stare down at the sheets on the bed. It was a little strange, but I wasn't expecting him to have that big of a reaction. That just wasn't him.

A few more moments passed before John grabbed his wallet off the small side table, pulling a card out and handing it to Sam. "Here. Give them my insurance."

"Elroy McGillicutty?" Sam asked, reading from the card in his hands.

"And his three loving kids." John said with a small smile. "So, what else did the doctor say about Dean?"

"Nothing." I shrugged, shaking my head. "If the doctors won't do anything, then we have to. We have to think of something."

"I don't know..." Sam muttered, glancing over at me. "I'll go find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him."

"We'll look for someone." John nodded, his eyes darting between the Sam and I for a moment. "But kids, I don't know if we're gonna find anyone."

"Why not? Sam found that faith healer before." I pointed out, refusing to believe that we weren't going to be able to do something.

"Alright, that was- that was one in a million."

"So what?" I asked, getting frustrated. "We'll find someone, something. We have to, we can't just let Dean-"

"No, I said we'd look." John said, stopping me as I started getting emotional. "I'll check under every stone."

"Okay." I muttered, my eyes drifting to the corner of the room. I could've sworn I just saw somebody standing there.

"Where's the Colt?" John asked, breaking me out of whatever trance I seemed to be in as I looked back down to him.

"Your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?" Sam snapped.

"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card."

"It's in the trunk." Sam huffed. "They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83."

"Alright. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside."

"I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place." Sam said.

"You go meet up with Bobby. You get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security."

"I think I've got it covered." Sam said, heading towards the door.

"Hey." John called out, holding a piece of paper out to Sam. "Here. I made a list of things I need. Have Bobby pick them up for me."

"Acacia? Oil of Abramelin?" Sam read, glancing up at his father. "What's this stuff for?"

"Protection."

Sam moved to leave again, turning around at the doorway. "Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"

"No, I don't." John muttered, shaking his head as Sam left the room with a sigh.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, noticing the way John stared down at the foot of the bed once Sam had left.

"You really don't know anything?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't you think if I knew something, I'd say it?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe."

" _Maybe_?" John asked, getting annoyed.

"I'm just saying, you've been keeping a lot from us lately, it wouldn't surprise me too much."

"We're not having that conversation again." John snapped. "You know that whatever it is I do, it's to keep you kids safe."

"Yeah." I nodded, letting out a sigh as I stood. "Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Okay." I muttered, heading out of the room, just feeling the need to be alone right now.

* * *

 **JOHN'S ROOM – DAY  
** **DPOV**

Sometime had passed since Tori had left the room and Sam still wasn't back. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to do – being stuck in this limbo. I pushed off the wall I was leaning on, making my way to the front of Dad's bed as he stared straight ahead.

"Come on, Dad. You've gotta help me. I've gotta get better, I've gotta get back in there. I mean, you haven't called a soul for help. You haven't even tried. Aren't you going to do anything? Aren't you even going to say anything?" I asked, staring at his blank expression.

I knew he couldn't hear me, maybe that's why I even had the confidence to say what I was.

"I've done everything you have ever asked me. Everything. I have given everything I've ever had. And you're just going to sit there and you're going to watch me die? I mean, what the hell kind of father are you?"

I stopped, hearing a strange noise coming from outside of the room. I quickly made my way into the hallway, jumping back as a white mist flew past me.

"I take it you didn't see that." I muttered, turning back to Dad for a moment before following the mist down the hallway where a woman was choking on the floor.

"Hey!" I called, turning back to the nurses. "I need some help in here!"

"I can't...breathe!" She exclaimed, taking in one loud breathe before stilling and going silent.

I glanced around, finally letting it sink in that no one could hear me. I was alone.

I made my way back down the hallway to find Tori now sitting on the small chair in front of Dad's room, wiping a tear off her cheek. I keeled in front of her, staring up into her eyes.

"It's gonna be okay, Tor." I said, letting out a sigh. "You gotta know I'm here."

* * *

 **JOHN'S ROOM – DAY  
** **TPOV**

I sat at the small bench in outside of John's room, waiting for Sam to come back. I felt a strange presence next to me, half expecting to see Dean there when I looked over. I shook my head at myself, letting out a low sigh. It amazed me how in just a matter of hours my life went from actually thinking things were going to be okay, to the possibility of my whole world crashing down in front of me.

If we lost Dean, I don't know what I'd do.

Just then, Sam came stalking down the hallway, an angry look on his face. I stood to my feet, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from barging into John's room.

"Whoa, what's the matter?"

"Him." Sam muttered, nodding to John behind the closed door.

"John? What about him?"

"You'll see." Sam said, throwing the door open. I quickly followed behind, closing the door behind me as Sam hurled the duffel bag in his hand onto the bed, fuming at John. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"What are you talking about?" John asked.

"That stuff from Bobby, you don't use it to ward off a demon – you use it to summon one."

"What?" I asked, looking over at John with shocked eyes.

"You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you? Having some stupid macho showdown?!" Sam yelled.

"I have a plan." John muttered.

"That's exactly my point! Dean is dying, and you _have a plan_! You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!"

"Do not tell me how I feel!" John yelled back. "I am doing this for Dean."

"How is revenge going to help him?" Sam asked. "You're not thinking about anybody but yourself. It's the same selfish obsession!"

"You know, it's funny, I thought it was your obsession too! This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt. Now if you'd killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened."

"Okay, stop it." I said, shaking my head.

"It was possessing you, Dad, I would have killed you too." Sam continued, ignoring me.

"Yeah, and your brother would be awake right now!" John exclaimed.

"Don't put that on him." I said through gritted teeth as John barely even glanced at me.

"Go to hell." Sam spat.

"Stop it!" I shouted, getting annoyed with their arguing as they ignored me.

"I should have never taken you along in the first place." John said, shaking his head at his son. "I knew it was a mistake, I knew I was wrong-"

"Shut up!" I yelled, at the same time a glass of water on the small table next to John flew across the room, crashing onto the floor. Both John and Sam's heads snapped in my direction, looking at me with confused eyes.

"I didn't do that." I mumbled. Suddenly, I felt the same presence as before when I looked over at the small table the cup flew off of, that strange feeling leaving as soon as it came.

* * *

 **DPOV**

"Dude, I full-on Swayze'd that mother." I mumbled, staring over at Tori, forgetting she couldn't hear me for a moment. But in that second, I could've sworn she looked at me instead of past me, when suddenly a wave of pain ran throughout me.

Just then, a bunch of nurses ran down the hallway towards my room, all speaking quickly.

"Something's going on out there." Dad said.

Tori didn't wait another second, leaving Dad and Sam behind as she ran out of the room. Sam quickly followed behind her as I trailed behind. The monitors around my bed were beeping wildly, a few nurses and a doctor surrounding my body trying to resuscitate me.

"All clear." The doctor mumbled, holding the paddles in his hands.

"No..." Tori muttered, her voice thick with emotions as tears streamed down her face. Sam pulled her to his side, hugging her tightly as he watched on with tears in his eyes.

"Still no pulse." A nurse replied.

"Okay, let's go again, three-sixty."

"Charging."

I walked around Sam, my eyes widening as I saw a ghost like figure floating over my body still lying in the bed.

"You get the hell away from me." I muttered through gritted teeth, moving over to the side of the bed. "I said, get back!"

The figure didn't move, still staring down at me. Without thinking, I grabbed onto it for a moment before it threw me, my back slamming into the wall as it flew out of the room. The monitors beside the bed slowed down before returning to normal.

"We have a pulse." One of the nurses said. "We're back into sinus rhythm."

Tori let out a relieved sigh as I moved past her and Sam to the hallway, looking for the spirit that had all but disappeared. Sam practically had to drag Tori back out into the hallway as I turned to face them.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." I said, whether they could hear me or not. "I'm getting that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it."

Tori glanced over in my direction, a strange look on her face as she let her eyes drift back into the room. Just then, I heard a girl's voice yelling from down the hallway and made my way towards her.

"Can't you see me? Why won't you look at me?" A dark-haired girl asked, looking at the people passing her as she walked down the stairs. "Somebody talk to me! Say something, please!"

"Can you see me?" I asked.

"Yeah." She nodded, standing on the step in front of me.

"Alright, just, uh, calm down. What's your name?"

"Tessa."

"Okay, good, Tessa. I'm Dean."

"What's happening to me?" She asked, tears in her eyes. "Am- am I dead?"

"That sort of depends." I shrugged. "Where's your room?"

"This way." Tessa muttered, nodding for me to follow as we made our way down the hall.

* * *

 **TESSA'S ROOM – DAY**

A dark-haired girl laid in the hospital bed, hooked up to various machines with a woman sitting beside the bed holding her hand inside the room Tessa led me to.

"I don't understand. I just came in for an appendectomy." Tessa muttered.

"Well, I hate to bear bad news, but I think there were some complications." I mumbled.

"It's just a dream, that's all." Tessa said, trying to convince herself. "It's just a very weird, unbelievably vivid dream."

"Tessa. It's not a dream." I told her honestly as she turned to face me.

"Then what else could it be?"

"You ever heard of an out of body experience?"

"What are you, some new agey guy?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You see me messing with crystals or listening to Yanni? It's actually a very old idea. Got a lot of different names, Bilocation, crisis apparition, fetches..." I explained. "I think it's happening to us. And if it is, it means that we're spirits of people close to death."

"So we're going to die?"

"No. Not if we hold on. Our bodies can get better, we can snap right back in there and wake up." I said, my own hope fading as I thought back to the spirit.

* * *

 **JOHN'S ROOM – DAY  
** **TPOV**

John looked up at me with a blank expression, like he didn't fully understand the words that had just come out of my mouth.

"What do you mean, you _felt_ something?"

"I mean it felt like... _Dean_ back there." I shrugged, glancing over at Sam before looking back to John. "It just felt like he was there, but I couldn't see him. But I felt him – his presence. It's happened a few times now, actually."

"Did you feel anything?" John asked, looking over at Sam.

"I don't know." Sam muttered. "But I trust Tori, she knows Dean."

"John, do you think it's possible? Do you think Dean's spirit could be around?" I asked.

"Anything's possible." John nodded slowly as a thought came into my mind.

"There's one way to find out." I said, looking over at Sam. "Could you make a run for me?"

"Uh, sure." Sam nodded, glancing over at me as I told him what I wanted.

John was very unsure of my idea, telling me he didn't think it would work, but thankfully Sam was completely on board – willing to try anything to get in contact with his brother in some way.

* * *

 **HALLWAY – DAY  
** **DPOV**

Tessa stayed close to my side as we made our way back down the hallway, seemingly doing nothing but wandering aimlessly. I was getting tried of it real quick.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed." I said, glancing over at her.

"With what?"

"With you. Most people in your spot would be jello right now, but uh, you're taking this pretty well." I nodded, letting out a sigh. "Maybe a little better than me."

"Don't get me wrong, I was pretty freaked at first. But now, I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm dealing."

"So you're okay with dying?" I asked.

"No, of course not." Tessa said, shaking her head. "I just think, whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. It's out of my control, it's fate."

"Well, that's crap." I scoffed. "You always have a choice. You can either roll over and die or you can keep fighting, no matter what-"

" _Room two-thirty-seven, code blue. Dr. Kripke to room two-thirty-seven, code blue._ "

I quickly made my way to the room, hoping I didn't see the same spirit lingering over the person in there.

"Where are you going?" Tessa asked.

"Just wait here." I said, running down the hallway to the other room. My heart dropped as I saw the same spirit hovering over a little girl, reaching a hand out to her face.

"Get away from her!" I yelled out, lunging at the spirit as it disappeared. The nurses stopped trying to resuscitate her, stepping back.

"All right, let's call it." The doctor muttered.

"Time of death, five-eleven p.m." A nurse said, checking the clock on the wall before looking down to the small girl. "At least she's not suffering anymore."

I glanced around the room, swallowing hard as I realized what I'd just witnessed.

* * *

 **DEAN'S ROOM – NIGHT  
** **TPOV**

Sam walked behind me as I stepped into Dean's room, trying not to keep my eyes on his unconscious form for too long. Instead, I glanced around the room, hoping I wasn't going crazy.

"So, Dean, I think you're here. If you are, I don't want any shit for this." I sighed, pulling the Ouija board out of the brown bag in my arms. "There's only one way we can talk right now."

* * *

 **DPOV**

"You gotta be kidding me." I muttered, rolling my eyes as Tori placed the board on the ground, sitting cross-legged in front of it.

"Sam, you have to do this too." Tori said, nodding for Sam to sit next to her.

"I feel like I'm at a slumber party." I mumbled, staring down at the board as Sam sat to Tori's side.

"Dean? Please, if you're here-" Tori paused, closing her eyes for a moment to get her emotions together. "Even if it makes you feel like a thirteen year-old girl...do it for me."

With a sigh, I sat on the other side of the board. "Alright, I'll do it for you...but this isn't going to work."

"It's gonna work." Tori argued, as if she knew what I'd say without even having to hear me.

Tori placed her hands on planchette, nodding for Sam to do so. Without a word, he nodded, placing his hands beside hers. I stared down at it for a few moments, slowly putting my fingers on the other corner.

"Dean, are you here?" Tori asked, staring down at the board.

I let out another sigh, concentrating on moving the planchette. Tori and Sam let out a gasp as my eyes widened, the three of us watching it move across the board.

"I'll be damned." I mumbled in shock as Tori blinked back tears, her and Sam exchanging a happy look before returning their eyes to the board.

"It's good to hear from you, man." Sam said, a small smile on his face. "It hasn't been the same without you, Dean."

"Damn straight."

* * *

 **TPOV**

I couldn't explain the feeling inside of me as I watched the planchette move across the board. The first emotion I felt was happiness, Dean was okay for the most part and he could communicate with us at least. Then I felt sadness. Dean wasn't really here and I had no way of truly knowing how bad he was doing wherever he was...

The planchette moved across the board, landing on _H,_ then _U._

"Dean, what?" Sam asked. "Hunt? Hunting?"

"Are you hunting?" I asked, watching the pointer slide to _yes_.

"It's in the hospital." Sam muttered, glancing over at me before turning back to the board. "What you're hunting? Do- do you know what it is? What is it?"

"Sam, relax." I said, shooting him a small smile. I watched the planchette slide across the board again, spelling out a word that in this particular situation, sent a chill down my spine. "Reaper?"

"Dean, is it after you?" Sam asked. I felt my hands start to shake as the pointer moved over to _yes_ again. The tears welled up in my eyes as I closed them, shaking my head.

"If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it." Sam mumbled. "Man, you're...um-"

"No." I snapped, shaking my head. "There's gotta be a way. There has to be a way to stop that thing."

"Dad'll know what to do." Sam said, standing to his feet. I nodded for him to go without me, leaving me alone with Dean in the room.

"Dean..." I murmured, staring down at the board. "Dean, are you still here?"

 _Yes_

"We're gonna get you out of this, okay? You're gonna be fine. Don't worry." I said, wiping a tear off my cheek with my shoulder. "I love you."

 _Me too_

I smiled down at the board, letting out a heavy sigh before standing to my feet. Sam came running back into the room then, John's journal in his hands.

"What happened?"

"He wasn't in his room." Sam said, sitting down on the chair in the room as my heart dropped. "But I got his journal, so who knows? Maybe there's something here about the reaper."

If John wasn't in his room...that could only mean one thing.

* * *

 **JOHN'S ROOM – NIGHT  
Two hours ago. **

After Sam had left to get the Ouija board, I stayed in the room with John, keeping my eyes trained on the ground as I debated with myself on whether or not I should say what was on my mind.

"What is it, Vic?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you really want all that stuff?" I asked, nodding to the duffel bag. "I mean, is a hospital really the best place for a showdown with a demon?"

John glanced down at the foot of the bed a moment before looking back up to me, a strange look in his eyes. "That's not what it's for."

"Why else would you want to summon the demon here?" I asked. "I don't understand."

"If I told you, you'd try to stop me."

"No I wouldn't." I said, shaking my head.

"I want to make a deal with it." John said simply staring over at me as my eyes went wide.

"You've lost your mind." I replied quickly as I took in what he'd said. "You want to make a deal with the demon? For what?"

"For Dean." John said, his eyes welling up with unshed tears. "I can't watch him die when I know there's something I can do to stop it. This family – we need him."

* * *

 **EMPTY HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT  
** **DPOV  
** **Present**

My mind was reeling as I made my way down the hallway, her dark hair catching my eye as she sat on the corner of a bed in an empty room.

"Hi, Dean." Tessa muttered, a small smile on her face.

"You know, you read the most interesting things. For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception?" I asked, making my way in the room. "I sure didn't. Basically they can make themselves appear however they want. Like, say, uh, a pretty girl. You are much prettier than the last reaper I met."

"I was wondering when you would figure it out."

"I should have known. That whole _accepting fate_ rap of yours is far too laid back for a dead chick. But the mother, and the body – I'm still trying to figure that one out."

"It's my sandbox, I can make you see whatever I want." She shrugged.

"What, is this like a turn-on for you? What, toying with me?"

"You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me." Tessa said, standing in front of me.

"Okay, fine. We're talking. What the hell do you want to talk about?"

"How death is nothing to fear." She said, lightly touching my cheek with the tips of her fingers. "It's your time to go, Dean. And you're living on borrowed time already."

* * *

 **BOILER ROOM – NIGHT  
** **JPOV**

I stared down at the lit match in my fingers a moment before throwing it into the bowl of sand, watching the flame flare up before burning low. I glanced around the empty, dark room when suddenly, a hand clapped down on my shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?"

"I can explain." I said, turning around.

"Yeah? You're going to explain to security. Come on. You follow me." He said, turning on his heel.

"Hey." I called, pulling the Colt out. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"You really want an honest answer to that?" He asked, turning around, his eyes glowing yellow as two demons stepped behind me. "You conjuring me, John. I'm surprised. I took you for a lot of things. But suicidally reckless wasn't one of them."

"I could always shoot you."

"You could always miss." He laughed. "And you've only got one try, don't you? Did you really think you could trap me?"

"Oh, I don't want to trap you." I said, lowering the Colt. "I want to make a deal."

* * *

 **EMPTY HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT  
** **DPOV**

"Okay, I'm sure you've heard this before-" I paused, turning away from the dark window. "But you've gotta make an exception, you've gotta cut me a break."

"Stage three: bargaining." Tessa mumbled.

"I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me."

"The fight's over."

"No, it isn't." I argued.

"It is for you. Dean, you're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave. Victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them." Tessa said.

"My brother, he could die without me." I murmured. "And Tori- well, I like to think she needs me half as much as I need her."

"Victoria will be okay. And your brother, maybe he will die and maybe he won't." Tessa shrugged. "Nothing you can do about it. It's an honorable death. A warrior's death."

"I think I'll pass on the seventy two virgins, thanks. I'm not that into prude chicks anyway."

"That's funny." She smiled. "You're very cute."

"There's no such thing as an honorable death. My corpse is going to rot in the ground and my family is going to die!" I exclaimed, getting angry. "No, I'm not going with you. I don't care what you do."

"Well, like you said. There's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts." She said. "So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years. Disembodied, scared, and over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent."

"What are you saying?"

"Dean. How do you think angry spirits are born?" Tessa asked, looking at me with sincere eyes. "They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt."

I certainly didn't want to become that. But leaving Tori? Leaving Sam? I wasn't sure I was so ready to do that yet. I never would be.

* * *

 **BOILER ROOM – NIGHT  
** **JPOV**

"It's very unseemly, making deals with devils." Yellow-eyed muttered. "How do I know this isn't just another trick?"

"It's no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet, but you've got to help Dean. You've got to bring him back." I insisted.

"Why, John, you're a sentimentalist. If only your kids knew how much their daddy loved them."

"It's a good trade. You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do Dean."

"Don't be so sure. He killed some people very special to me. But still, you're right, he isn't much of a threat." He muttered, pausing for a moment. "You know the truth, right? About Sammy? And the other children?"

"Yeah. I've known for a while." I nodded, trying not think about everything it meant.

"But Sam doesn't, does he? You've been playing dumb." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"Can you bring Dean back?" I asked, letting my impatience show. "Yes or no?"

"No. But I know someone who can, it's not a problem."

"Good." I nodded. "Before I give you the gun, I'm going to want to make sure that Dean's okay. With my own eyes."

"Oh, John, I'm offended. Don't you trust me?" He asked, to which I just shook my head. "Fine."

"So, we have a deal?"

"No, John, not yet. You still need to sweeten the pot."

"With what?"

"There's something else I want, as much as that gun." He said, nodding slowly. "Maybe more."

* * *

 **EMPTY ROOM – NIGHT  
** **DPOV**

Tessa sat behind me, gently stroking my hair with a sigh. "It's time to put the pain behind you."

"And go where?" I asked quietly.

"Sorry. I can't give away the big punchline. Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?"

As I turned towards her, the lights started flickering around us. "What are you doing that for?"

"I'm not doing it." She muttered, her eyes widening as she looked to the vent behind me. I turned around to see black smoke pouring out.

"What the hell?"

"You can't do this! Get away!" Tessa yelled.

"What's happening?!"

Tessa screamed as the smoke poured down her throat, her eyes closing for a moment before she blinked them. My eyes widened as I stared into her now yellow ones.

"Today's your lucky day, kid." She smiled sinisterly, placing a hand on my forehead.

* * *

 **DEAN'S ROOM – NIGHT  
** **TPOV**

I stared down at the floor beneath my feet, my stomach flopping around as nerves flew through me.

John's plan wasn't going to work. There was no way that demon would bring Dean back for the Colt. It's spent the past twenty-three years making the Winchesters lives a living hell, it wouldn't give in that easily.

Suddenly, Dean let out a loud gasp, choking on the tube in his throat. My eyes widened as I Sam and I ran over to him.

"Help!" Sam turned, yelling out into the hallway. "I need help!"

* * *

 **DEAN'S ROOM – DAY**

Dean was back, and I- I couldn't even put into words how I felt. Every two seconds, I felt like I was going to break down from sheer happiness that he really was okay – that he was back with me again. But deep down, that nervous feeling was still sitting in the pit of my stomach.

Dean _was_ back, but at what cost? Would the demon have made it that easy?

I let out a sigh, bending down to place a kiss on Dean's lips as I stood beside Dean, a hand on his shoulder. He smiled up at me before looking back to the doctor in front of us.

"I can't explain it." He muttered, astonished. "The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you."

An angel...how I wish that's what it really was.

"Thanks." Dean nodded, looking over to Sam as the doctor left. "So you said a Reaper was after me?"

"Yeah."

"How'd I ditch it?" Dean asked, glancing over to me.

"No idea." I shrugged, letting out another sigh. "You really don't remember anything?"

"No." Dean said, shaking his head. "Except this pit in my stomach. Something's wrong."

A quiet knock sounded on the door frame, causing us to look up.

"How you feeling, dude?" John asked, smiling down at his son.

"Fine, I guess." Dean shrugged. "I'm alive."

"That's what matters." John nodded, taking a step into the room.

"Where were you last night?" Sam asked, already getting angry.

"I had some things to take care of."

"Well, that's specific."

"Come on, Sam." I mumbled. "Let it go."

"Did you go after the demon?" Sam asked, ignoring me.

"No."

"You know, why don't I believe you right now?"

"Can we not fight? You know, half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I- I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?" John asked, his voice desperate.

"Dad, are you alright?" Sam asked, noticing something was off.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Hey, son, would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?" John asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Sam nodded, glancing back at me with a questioning look before leaving the room.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"You know, when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt...and after what I'd seen, I'd be- I'd be wrecked. And you – you'd come up to me and you, you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd- you'd say _It's okay, Dad."_ Dad said, his eyes getting teary. "Dean, I'm sorry."

"What?"

"You shouldn't have had to say that to me, I should have been saying that to you. You know, I put- I put too much on your shoulders, I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy, you took care of Tori, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain – not once. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you."

"This really you talking?" Dean asked, not even trying to hide the shock in his voice.

"Yeah." John nodded. "Yeah, it's really me."

"Why are you saying this stuff?"

John took a small step closer, placing a hand on his son's other shoulder, glancing between Dean and I. "I want you two to watch out for Sammy, okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, you know we will." Dean said, glancing over at me before looking to his father. "You're scaring me."

"Don't be scared, Dean." John replied, leaning in, nodding for me to so the same.

With a deep breath, John whispered something that shocked me to the core. My eyes widened as he told us we might have to do something that would never even cross my mind.

I shared a scared look with Dean as John turned without another word, leaving the room.

"What?" Dean asked, looking over at me with wide eyes. "I-"

"Hang on." I muttered, stalking after John as he entered an empty hospital room.

"Vic, please-"

"What the hell, John?" I asked, staring up at him with disbelieving eyes. "I mean, why would you even say that?"

"I just want you two to be prepared."

"Prepared for what, John? That will never happen." I said adamantly. " _Never_."

"It may be something that has to be done and you and Dean need to be ready for it."

"Why are you acting like you're not gonna be there?" I asked, realization coming over me in that moment as fear washed through me. "John...you are gonna be there, aren't you?"

John stayed silent, staring at the ground.

"John, he- he took the gun right? Just the Colt, that was all he wanted...right?" I pressed.

"You know, Mary and I- we always wanted a daughter." John muttered, looking up at me. "After Sam, we talked about trying for a girl."

"John, what-"

"Mary would've loved you." John said, glancing back down to the ground before looking up at me with tears in his eyes. "You're like a daughter to me, you know that."

"I know." I nodded, feeling the tears in my eyes as John took a step towards me, pulling me in for a hug.

"There's something I've been meaning to apologize for, for a little while now."

"What?"

"Keeping you and Dean apart for so long." John murmured, still holding me tightly. "It was what I thought was right at the time but...you and him – you're stronger together, even I can see that. No matter what happens, you two can make it through. Even if you have to do what I asked."

"I- okay." I mumbled, not knowing what else to say as he pulled back, holding the tops of my arms, staring down into my eyes. I finally allowed the tears to spill over, feeling them stream down my cheeks. "There has to be something we can do."

"I made a deal. I can't go back on it." John said, taking a deep breath.

"We can figure _something_ out."

"If we do anything, Dean will-" John stopped, shaking his head slightly.

I knew what he was going to say, though. If John went back on his word, the demon would, too. And then Dean would- Dean would be...gone.

"I don't want you to say anything to them about this. About you knowing."

"What? John, I can't do that. I have to-"

"Victoria."

"Yes, sir." I muttered, looking down.

"You take care of those boys." John said, trying to put on a stern mask to cover his fear and sadness. "Keep them in line. Okay, Vic?"

I took a deep breath, sniffling slightly as I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good girl." John nodded, smiling down at me sadly.

"Thank you, John. For everything." I said, trying to hold in my sobs.

John nodded once, trying to keep the small smile on his face as he gently pushed me towards the open door. "Go."

With once glance behind me, I left the room, wrapping my arms around myself as I heard John whisper an _okay_. Sam walked down the hallway then, rushing over to me as he saw me standing there crying silently.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, placing a hand on my arm. "Tori?"

I didn't say anything, nodded back to the room back to the room I was just in. It was then that I let the dam break, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face while I watched Sam run to his father's side as he laid on the floor.

A few nurses came running as Sam yelled for help, but I just stood there, feeling numb as I watched everyone move around me. Dean came out of his room, making his way to my side with wide eyes as he watched what was happening.

"What happened?" Dean asked, glancing down at me.

I just shook my head, wrapping my arms tighter around myself as a few nurses gently pushed Sam out of the room before a doctor came in to help move John onto a stretcher where they tried to resuscitate him.

A couple nurses tried to push Dean and Sam back out into the hallway, but they weren't allowing it.

"No, no, no, it's our dad." Dean said, his voice breaking. "It's our dad!"

I stood behind, closing my eyes as the tears kept coming. Though I knew there was probably no chance, I still hoped they could get him back.

"Come on." Dean muttered, glancing back to me before returning his gaze into the room.

"Okay, stop compressions." The doctor mumbled.

"Come on, come on."

"Still no pulse." A nurse said, her voice sad.

"Okay, that's it everybody. I'll call it" The doctor announced as Sam, Dean and I stood in the doorway with crushed looks on our faces. "Time of death, ten-forty-one a.m."

And just like that, our whole world was turned around.

* * *

 **:O**

 **Did I just post the first chapter for season two? Yes, I did! To be honest, I'm super proud of the fact that I got it done much faster than I thought I would lol**

 **The summary is a little eh, but it'll do for now. Also, what do you think of the name** _Into The Nothing_ **for season two? I liked it ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this as much as you did** _Elastic Heart_ **!**

 **Thanks for reading! :D**


	2. Everybody Loves a Clown

_Trying to get up that great big hill of hope  
For a destination  
I realized quickly when I knew I should  
That the world was never this brotherhood of man  
Or whatever that means  
…._

 _And I try  
Oh my god, do I try  
I try all the time  
In this institution  
And I pray  
Oh my god, do I pray  
I pray every single day  
For revolution_

 _And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed  
Just to get it all out, what's in my head_  
 _And I, I am feeling a little peculiar_  
 _And so I wake in the morning and I step outside_  
 _And I take a deep breath and I get real high_  
 _And I scream from the top of my lungs_  
 _What's going on?_

 _And I said  
Hey, hey  
I said, hey  
What's going on?  
And I said  
Hey, hey  
I said, hey  
What's going on?_

 **4 Non Blondes – What's Up?**

* * *

There wasn't much I could do anymore except try to take everything day by day. Sam and Dean, they weren't acting the same. Hell, I knew I wasn't either. This was something we never expected.

The memory of the three of us standing in front of John's corpse as it burned constantly passed through my mind. It was too much to handle sometimes and I had to try to think of anything else to get it out of my mind, though that never worked.

I already buried one father, never in a million years did I think I'd have to do the same with John.

Bobby sat silently at his desk, staring down into a large open book in front of him. We'd been staying here with him for the past couple weeks, which was nice – in a way. We didn't feel so completely alone right now. I was grateful for Bobby, to have him in my life again. He'd always been very special to me and being here brought back a lot of good memories, none of which brought any comfort to me in this time.

I moved the light curtain over slightly, peering out of the window at Dean – who was still underneath the broken frame of the Impala. All he'd being doing was working on the car since everything happened, and I couldn't tell if it was better for him to be left alone with his thoughts or worse.

Either way, I didn't want to push my presence on him. Sometimes I just couldn't help myself, though.

I stood up from the small red couch, gaining Bobby's attention as he glanced up at me from his book. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah." I nodded, sliding my hands in my pockets. "Just gonna check on Dean. See if he needs anything."

Bobby raised an eyebrow, nodding slowly. "Alright."

On my way through the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of beer out of the fridge before heading outside. I'd only made it a few feet from the front porch when I heard Sam walking out behind me.

"Hey."

"Hey." I muttered, turning towards him. "You okay?"

"I don't know." Sam mumbled, looking down. "You?"

"Not really." I admitted, taking a deep breath. "I'm just...I'm trying to be."

"Yeah, me too."

I nodded, letting out a sigh. "Come on, let's go check on Dean."

"Both of us? At the same time?" Sam asked, stopping me mid-turn. "Won't that kind of...I don't know, annoy him?"

"No, no." I said, taking a deep breath as Sam raised an eyebrow at me. "Maybe. Come on."

I shrugged, moving back towards the dented frame of the Impala in the distance. Dean had been keeping literally everything bottled up lately – more than usual – and it was scaring me a little. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when he just exploded, but I knew it wasn't going to be good.

Sam and I stopped in front of the car, staring down at his legs sticking out from underneath it. "Dean?"

"Yeah?" He replied, his voice muffled.

"Want anything to drink? I brought you a beer."

"No, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun that shined down as Dean pulled himself out from under the car.

"Yeah, Tor, I'm sure." Dean nodded, squinting up at me.

"Okay." I nodded, letting out a low sigh. "Are you- I mean, do you-"

"What?"

"Do you want to talk about anything?" I asked, watching as his face went sour. "I'm just asking. You haven't talked about...anything, really – at all."

"There's nothing to talk about." Dean shrugged, moving to go back under the car. I quickly stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he grimaced at me.

"Dean, come on. There's plenty to talk about." Sam said.

"No. There isn't." Dean muttered. "We know what happened, there's nothing to say. Just...stop."

" _Stop_? Stop, what?" I asked, stepping back. "Stop caring?"

"No." Dean scoffed, shaking his head as he stood to his feet. "Just- just stop asking if I need anything, stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay. Really, I promise."

"Dean, it's just..." Sam paused, letting out a huff. "We've been at Bobby's for over a week now and you haven't brought up Dad once."

"You know what? You're right." Dean nodded, tilting his head to the side. "Come here, I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, and maybe even slow dance.

"Don't patronize me, Dean." Sam huffed, exchanging an eye roll with me. "Dad is dead, the Colt is gone, it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this, and you're acting like nothing happened."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Say something, alright? Hell, say anything!" Sam exclaimed. "Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car."

"Revenge, huh?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"Sounds good. You got any leads on where the demon is? Making heads or tails of any of Dad's research? Because I sure ain't. But you know, if we do finally find it – oh. No, wait, like you said. The Colt's gone. But I'm sure you've figured out another way to kill it." Dean muttered, raising an eyebrow. "We've got nothing, Sam. Nothing, okay? So you know the only thing I can do? I can work on the car."

Dean crouched down beside the car, going back to whatever it was he was doing as Sam and I exchanged a look.

"Well, we've got something, alright?" Sam said, pulling out a cell phone that I didn't recognize. "This is one of Dad's old phones. Took me a while, but I cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this."

I took the phone that Sam handed out to me, listening to a woman's voice play over the speaker. " _John, it's Ellen. Again. Look, don't be stubborn – you know I can help you. Call me._ "

"That message is four months old." Sam said, nodding to the phone.

"John saved a message for four months?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"Well, who's Ellen?" Dean asked. "Any mention of her in Dad's journal?"

"No. But I ran a trace on her phone number and I got an address."

"No." I said, folding my arms.

"What?" Sam asked.

"We are not doing this. We are not going to pay a random visit to some woman just because John saved her message for four months." I said, glancing back and forth as Sam and Dean stared at me like I'd grown another head. "It's stupid! She could just be come stupid hookup for all we know."

Sam exchanged a look with Dean as he stood to his feet, completely ignoring me. "Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars."

"Hello? Why is no one listening to me?" I asked, my eyes widening as Sam started walking away and Dean went back to his work on the car.

"Fine. Whatever." I mumbled, throwing my hands up as I stalked back to the house.

* * *

 **ROAD – DAY**

The old minivan Bobby had lent us rumbled and sputtered as Dean drove across the pavement, pulling up in front of an old looking building with a sign on the front that read _Roadhouse Saloon._

"This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!" Dean exclaimed as we hopped out.

"Well, that's what you get for ignoring me." I muttered, nodding to the building. "I'm sure this is nothing."

I walked a few feet in front of the boys, opening the doors cautiously as I glanced around the abandoned looking, dusty place. "Hello? Anybody here?"

"Hey, buddy?" Sam called.

I glanced over, following his gaze to see a guy passed out on the bar, snoring loudly. "I'm guessing that probably isn't Ellen."

"Yeah." Dean chuckled as Sam disappeared into a back room. I went over to the bar, glancing down at the mullet guy, who was still passed out cold.

"Oh god, please let that be a rifle." Dean mumbled. My eyes went wide as I turned around to see a young blonde girl holding a rifle to Dean's back.

"No, I'm just real happy to see you." She smirked, cocking the gun. "Don't move."

"Not moving, copy that. You know, you should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do-" Dean paused, turning quickly to grab the rifle away from her. "That."

I smiled over at him, my grin quickly disappearing as the girl punched Dean in the face, taking the gun back from him.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, stalking over to her as Dean held his nose in pain. The girl pointed the rifle in my direction, stopping me in my tracks as she smirked.

"Ash!" She called, causing the guy behind me to fail as he woke up.

"What!? What's the matter?"

"Hold her." She muttered, nodding to me. The guy behind me turned around on his stood, hugging me tightly around the tops of my arms as he held me to his chest.

"Hi." He nodded, smiling at me.

"Good god." I mumbled, shaking my head as I looked to Dean with concern. "Dean, are you okay?"

"I can't see, I can't even see." Dean muttered, more to himself than anything as he leaned on the counter. "Sam! Need some help in here."

"Sorry, I can't right now. I'm a little tied up." Sam said, walking out of the back door with his hands up, an older woman behind him with a gun pointed to his head.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" I said. "You idiots never listen to me."

"Alright." Dean mumbled, sounding exasperated. The woman looked over at me, an eyebrow raised as she stared.

"Are you Ellen?" I asked, going out on a limb.

"Who wants to know?" She asked.

"Does the name Winchester ring a bell?" I asked as Dean rolled his eyes.

Ellen glanced over at me, her eyes darting between the three of us with a slight look of recognition. "Winchester?

"Yeah."

"Son of a bitch." Ellen sighed, lowering her gun as she looked over at me. "Ash, let her go."

"Mom, you know these guys?" The young girl asked.

"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's kids." Ellen laughed as mullet guy released me from his grasp. "Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo and that's Ash."

"Hey." Jo muttered, smiling over at Dean as she lowered her rifle awkwardly.

"You're not gonna hit me again, are you?" Dean asked.

Jo just raised an eyebrow, moving behind the bar as Ash turned around again, laying his head back down on the bar. I quickly made my way over to Dean, checking his nose before leading him over to one of the stools as Ellen disappeared into the back room once again, coming out a few minutes later with a towel full of ice for Dean.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Dean nodded, taking the towel from her. "You called our Dad, said you could help. Help with what?"

"Well, the demon, of course." Ellen shrugged. "I heard he was closing in on it."

"What, was there an article in the _Demon Hunters Quarterly_ that I missed?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"Who are you? How do you know about any of this?" I asked.

"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again – including your Dad, a long time ago. John was like family once." Ellen explained, a strange look in her eyes.

"He never mentioned you before."

"You'd have to ask him that." Ellen said, raising an eyebrow at the small look Dean and I exchanged.

"So why exactly do we need your help?" Dean asked, turning back to her.

"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..." Ellen paused. "He didn't send you. He's all right, isn't he?"

Sam and Dean both clammed up, the two of the glancing down at the bar. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It- it just got him before he got it, I guess."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Dean nodded. "We're alright."

"Really?" Ellen asked, raising her eyebrows at Dean. "I know how close you and your Dad were."

"Really, lady – I'm fine." Dean snapped. I placed a hand on his arm, patting it gently to try and calm him down before he lashed out at this stranger for just being polite.

"So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get." Sam said.

"Well, we can't." Ellen said, nodding to the mullet guy who had passed out on the bar...again. "But Ash will."

"Him?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ash!" Ellen called loudly. I looked over just as Ash failed again, steadying himself as he almost fell off the stool.

"What? It closing time?"

"He's gonna help us?" I asked.

"He's a genius." Jo nodded, going back to cleaning the bar.

* * *

Dean stood behind me, his hands on the back of the chair I was currently sitting on. Ash, a very grungy look man with a blonde mullet, sat next to Sam, staring down at the closed folder in front of him.

"You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie." Dean said.

Ash glanced up at Dean, a big smile on his face. "I like you."

"Thanks." Dean replied hesitantly.

"Just give him a chance." Jo called out from her spot behind the bar.

"It can't hurt." I shrugged, nodding to the empty chair beside me.

Dean sat down with a sigh, opening the folder. "Alright. This stuff's about a year's worth of our Dad's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it.

Ash pulled the papers out, rifling through them for a moment before shaking his head. "Come on, this crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this."

"John could." I nodded.

"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations-" Ash spouted off quickly, leaving Sam, Dean and I a little surprised as he continued. "I mean, damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms...you ever been struck by lightening?"

I raised an eyebrow, shaking my head as he stared over at me. "No."

"It ain't fun."

"I can't imagine it would be."

"It's not."

"Right." I said, letting out a breath. "Can you track this thing, Ash?"

"Yeah, with this, I think so." Ash said, standing up. "But it's gonna take time. Give me...fifty one hours.

"Hey, man?" Dean called as Ash turned to leave.

"Yeah."

"I, uh, I dig the haircut."

"All business up front party in the back." Ash smirked, flipping some hair over his shoulder before walking away.

Jo walked by us, a little grin on her face as she caught Dean's eye. I narrowed my eyes at her turned back, letting out a small huff as I turned back around. Dean glanced down at me with a raised eyebrow, a small smirk on his face.

"Shut up." I mumbled, folding my arms on top of the bar.

"Hey, Ellen, what is that?" Sam asked, nodding to something behind the bar.

"It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things, we-"

"No, no, the- the folder."

"Uh, I was gonna give this to a friend of mine. But take a look, if you want." Ellen shrugged, plucking the folder off the wall, handing it to Sam before heading into the back room. Jo came back over to the bar then, staring down at Dean as she stood right in front of him.

"How did your mom get into this stuff?" I asked, trying to stomp down the stupid jealousy bubbling inside of me. My emotions were all over the place.

"From my dad. He was a hunter." Jo paused, looking down. "He passed away."

"Oh, I- I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago, I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your Dad." Jo said, looking back to Dean.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking down to the table.

"Guys, check this out." Sam said, sliding the folder in front of Dean and I. I glanced down, reading the large headline on one of the newspaper clippings.

 **COUPLE MURDERED  
CHILD LEFT ALIVE  
MEDFORD, WISC.**

"A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt." Sam finished.

"So?" I asked.

"So, we should check it out."

* * *

 **IMPALA – NIGHT  
Highway **

As much as I protested, Sam won out – eventually getting Dean on his side, though I could tell he wasn't completely sold that there was an actual job here. Either way, I think he just needed something to take his mind off of things, considering he wouldn't just simply talk to me.

"Really, though?" I asked, leaning onto the front seat as the minivan drove through the pouring rain. "A killer clown?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, not looking away from the laptop in his lap. "He left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually."

"And this family was at some carnival that night?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. The, uh, Cooper Carnivals."

"So how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?"

"Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus this girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course."

"Well, I know what you're thinking, Sam." Dean paused, throwing a small smile back at me before looking to his brother. "Why did it have to be clowns?"

"Oh, give me a break." Sam scoffed, shaking his head.

"You didn't think I'd remember, did you?" Dean laughed. "I mean, come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see _Ronald McDonald_ on the television."

"Well, at least I'm not afraid of flying." Sam retorted, grinning at his brother.

"Planes crash!" Dean exclaimed.

"And apparently clowns kill!" Sam replied quickly. I smiled at the two in front of me, glad that were enjoying a moment – no matter how small.

"These types of murders, have they ever happened before?" I asked.

"Uh, according to the file, nineteen-eighty-one, the Bunker Brothers Circus, same M.O. It happened three times, three different locales." Sam said.

"It's weird, though." Dean muttered. "I mean, if it is a spirit, it's usually bound to a specific locale, you know. A house, or a town."

"So how's this one moving from city to city – carnival to carnival?" I asked.

"Cursed object, maybe. Spirit attaches itself to something and the, uh, carnival carries it around with them."

"Great." Sam huffed, leaning back in the seat. "Paranormal scavenger hunt."

"Well, this case _was_ your idea." Dean muttered, looking over at Sam with a raised eyebrow. "By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job."

"So?"

"It's just...not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt."

"I don't know. I just think, this job – it's what Dad would have wanted us to do."

"What Dad would have wanted?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "So?"

"Uh, nothing." Dean mumbled, shaking his head as he stared out into the road.

Something was brewing inside of him, and I worried if he didn't let it out – he was going to lose it.

* * *

 **CARNIVAL – DAY**

The minivan squeaked loudly as Dean pulled it up outside of the small carnival, a grimace on his face as the loud shriek called quite a bit of attention to us.

"Check it out. Five-oh." Dean mumbled, nodding to a few detectives talking some people across the way. "I'm gonna go see what's happening."

"Don't get arrested." I called, grinning at him as he glanced back at me with a smile.

I got out of the car with Sam as he stood there rather uncomfortably, looking around with his hands in his pockets. A small woman in a clown outfit walked by us then, minding her own business until she noticed Sam staring at her nervously. She narrowed her eyes at him, letting out a huff before walking away.

"Sam, cool it." I mumbled, patting his arm.

"I- it's not- never mind."

"Did you get her number?" Dean asked, walking up behind us with a grin. Sam turned to him slightly, a scowl on his face.

I smiled over at Dean, shaking my head as I folded my arms."What'd you find out? More murders?"

"Two more last night." Dean nodded. "Apparently they were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them."

"Who fingered a clown." Sam muttered, his eyes darting between Dean and I as we both shot him strange looks. "What?"

"Yeah, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air."

"Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. They could be anything."

"Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything."

"Oh, good." I said. "That's nice and inconspicuous. No one will notice _us_ snooping around."

"I guess we'll just have to blend in." Dean muttered, nodding to a _Help Wanted_ sign with a smirk, heading over to the tent without another word.

* * *

 **TENT – DAY**

We stepped into the tent just as a man thew a knife at a target on the wall of the tent a few feet away. I glanced over at Sam as Dean took a small step forward.

"Excuse me, we're looking for a Mr. Cooper, have you seen him around?"

"What is that, some kind of joke?" The man asked, pulling his sunglasses off to reveal cloudy eyes.

"Oh. God, I'm- I'm sorry." Dean quickly apologized.

"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper? Or a sunset, or anything at all?"

Dean leaned back to Sam and I, a stressed look on his face. "Wanna give me a little help here?"

"No." I mumbled as Sam shook his head.

"Hey man, is there a problem?" A voice asked from behind. The three of us turned as a short man in a red cape entered the tent.

"Yeah, this guy hates blind people." The man muttered.

"No." Dean said, shaking his head. "I don't, I-"

"Hey buddy, what's your problem?"

"Nothing, it's just a little misunderstanding."

"Oh, boy." I commented, looking down to the ground as Sam and I chuckled.

"Little?!" The short man exclaimed, taking a step forward. "You son of a bitch!"

"No, no, no! I'm just- could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" Dean asked desperately. "Please?"

* * *

 **MR. COOPER'S TRAILER– DAY**

"You three picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat." Mr. Cooper gestured to the chairs in front of his desk as he sat behind it.

Dean quickly sat in one of the normal chairs, pulling me with him to leave the pink chair with the giant clown face on it for Sam. I glanced up at him as Sam let out a tired sigh as he sat slowly onto the chair with a grimace.

"We've got all kinds of local trouble." Mr. Cooper continued.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Oh, a couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first." He shrugged. "So, you three ever worked the circuit before?"

"Yes sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas." Sam nodded.

"Doing what? Ride jockies? Butcher? ANS men?"

"Yeah, it's, uh, little bit of everything, I guess."

"You three have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?" Mr. Cooper asked, raising his eyebrows as he leaned on the desk.

"Nope. But we really need the work." Dean said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Oh, and uh, Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady."

Sam shot his bother a hard look, shaking his head as he fidgeted in his chair.

Thankfully, Mr. Cooper ignored them, pointing back to a picture hanging on the wall. "You see that picture? That's my daddy."

"You look just like him." I muttered.

"He was in the business. Ran a freakshow. Till they outlawed them, most places. Apparently displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress, I guess. You see, this place – it's a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else." Mr. Cooper said, leaning back. "But you three? You should go to school. Get married. Have two point five kids. Live regular."

Dean took a breath, about to speak when Sam leaned forward, a serious look on his face. "Sir, we don't want to go to school. And we don't want _regular_. We want this."

I shared a worried look with Dean as Sam sat back in his seat, a strange look on his face as he let out a breath.

* * *

 **CARNIVAL GROUNDS – DAY**

"So Sam..." I muttered, glancing up as Sam as we walked away from Mr. Cooper's trailer. "That whole, _we don't want to go to school_ thing. Were you just saying that to Cooper? Or were you, you know, saying it?"

"I don't know." Sam shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets again.

"You don't know?" Dean asked. "I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to Wussy State.

"I'm having second thoughts."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think- I think Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job."

"Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted?" Dean snapped. "You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want, Sam."

"Since he died, okay? Do you have a problem with that?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I don't have a problem at all." Dean said, stalking away. Sam let out a sigh, watching his brother walk away with a tired look on his face.

* * *

I adjusted the bright red _Cooper Carnival_ jacket I wore, letting out a heavy breath as I rolled my eyes. This whole thing was just so tiring. Truthfully, all I wanted to do was go back to Bobby's and sleep.

"Hey, I'm gonna go check out that funhouse over there." Sam said, nodding to the small structure a few feet away.

"Okay." I nodded. "I'm gonna go find Dean. Don't get lost in there."

"I won't." Sam mumbled, walking away.

I stood there for a moment, watching until he disappeared inside before making my way through the small crowds until I found Dean also picking up trash a few feet away. I took the opportunity to creep up on him, walking quietly until I was right behind him.

To be honest, I was a little surprised he didn't realize I was there – but at the same time, I was thankful he didn't as I leaned in slightly, a grin on my face.

"Planes!" I shouted, backing up as he let out a low scream before quickly spinning around to face me with wide eyes.

"What the hell, Tor?" Dean asked, taking in a deep breath as I chuckled.

"Hi."

"I think my heart stopped."

"Oh, you're fine." I muttered, nudging his shoulder. "How are things going over here?"

"As good as picking up trash can get."

"Yeah." I nodded as we started walking a bit.

"You or Sam find anything?"

"Nope." I shook my head, letting out a sigh. "Hey, maybe there's nothing here."

"What?" Dean asked, his voice clouded with disbelief. "How would you explain all the dead people?"

"You know, not everything has to be supernatural." I shrugged. "Maybe there's just some psycho murderer on the loose."

"A psycho murderer who only kills parents and not their children?"

"Maybe that's part of this particular person's crazy..."

Even as I spoke, I knew the words weren't true. And I knew it was stupid of me to even try and think there was something going on here that wasn't something we could take care of. But part of me just wanted to go back to the only place I could really call home and just...grieve.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"I mean...no. No, I guess not."

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, stopping short to stare down at me.

I let out a huff, crossing my arms. "Why is it okay for you to ask me that, but nobody can ask you?"

"Becau-" Dean paused as his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, flipping it open as I leaned in to hear Sam.

" _Hey man._ "

"What's the matter?" Dean smirked. "You sound like you just saw a clown."

" _Very funny. Skeleton, actually._ "

"Like a real human skeleton?" I asked.

" _In the funhouse. Listen, I was thinking. What if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object – what if it's attached to its own remains?_ "

"That's grim."

"Did the bones give off EMF?" Dean asked.

" _Well, no, but-_ "

"We should check it out anyway." Dean said, hanging up the phone just as the blind man from before grabbed his arm, spinning him around.

"What are you kids really doing here?"

"I'm- we- we were just sweeping." Dean replied.

"Bull." He spat. "And what were you talking about? _Skeletons_? What's _EMF_?"

"Dude, your blind man hearing is out of control." Dean mumbled. I quickly smacked his arm, shaking my head at him.

"We're a tight-knit group. We don't like outsiders. We take care of our own problems."

"We got a problem?"

"You tell me – you're the one talking about human bones."

"Do you believe in ghosts?" I asked quickly, ignoring the look Dean was currently shooting me.

"What?" The man snapped.

"My brothers and I, we're writing a book about them." I muttered with a grimace.

* * *

Dean and I made our way to the funhouse after I ended up spouting off random things about the paranormal for the next fifteen minutes until the blind man let us go, grumbling as we walked away.

"What took you so long?" Sam asked, pushing off of the railing he was leaning on.

Dean rolled his eyes, glancing over at me before looking back to his brother. "Long story."

"Mommy, look at the clown!" A little girl called from a few feet away, tugging on her mother's arm as she pointed at something neither one of us could see.

"What clown?" The mother asked, pulling her daughter gently. "Come on, sweetie, come on."

"Still think it's nothing?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I let out a slow breath, shaking my head as I watched the little girl stare at what I only saw as thin air.

* * *

 **FAMILY'S HOME – NIGHT**

The van was parked a few feet down the street from the little girl's house, we'd been sitting here for a little while now and nothing was happening. I leaned my head against the window, my eyes starting to close as exhaustion finally caught up with me.

"I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown." Sam complained, shaking his head.

"I panicked, okay?" I snapped, rubbing my temple. "Plus, I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown. I never said it was real."

Dean pulled his gun out, staring down at it for a moment before cocking it. Sam quickly grabbed it out of his hands, shaking his head. "Keep that down!"

Dean shrugged, nodding slightly. "And get this, I mentioned the Bunker Brother's Circus in eighty-one and their, uh, evil clown apocalypse? Guess what."

"What?"

"Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager."

"So you think whatever the spirit's attached to, Cooper just brought it with him?"

"Something like that." Dean shrugged.

"I can't believe we keep talking about clowns." I mumbled, leaning back in the seat with a sigh.

* * *

After some time, I was already passed out in the backseat of the van when suddenly Sam started shaking me.

"What!?" I exclaimed, jumping up.

"Come on!" Sam said, getting out of the car with Dean. My heart pounded and I let out a huff, following them up to the house. We got inside through the back door, waiting patiently as the little girl spoke quietly to something she was leading down the hallway.

"Wanna see Mommy and Daddy? They're upstairs."

I glanced over at the boys before jumping out into the hallway to grab the girl, who immediately started screaming. I heard a loud bang as Dean fired the shotgun at the hallway, hitting something. My eyes widened and I held the girl to me who was still screaming as the figure got back up even after being hit. Dean glanced over at me before cocking the gun again.

Just as he did so, it jumped out of the nearby window, shattering it to pieces. I heard rushed footsteps, looking up to see the parents running down the stairs with scared looks on their faces.

"What's going on here!?" The father yelled. "Get away from her!"

"Oh my god, what are you doing to my daughter?!" The girl's mother cried as I quickly pushed the girl out of my arms.

"Who the hell are you? Get out! Get out of my house!" The man shouted, moving towards us. Dean helped me to my feet as the three of us ran quickly out of the house.

* * *

 **BCKROAD – DAY**

Sam and I were getting our things out of the minivan that was currently parked on the side of the road as Dean pulled the license plates off.

I threw a bag over my shoulder, shaking my head. "I knew that was stupid idea."

"You really think they saw our plates?" Sam asked, ignoring me as he look to his brother.

"I don't wanna take the chance. Besides, I hate this friggin' thing anyway." Dean muttered, kicking the tire before we walked away, leaving it behind. "Well, one thing's for sure."

"What's that?"

"We're not dealing with a spirit. I mean, that rock salt hit something solid."

"Yeah, a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, and dresses up like a clown for kicks?" Dean asked sarcastically. "Did it say anything in Dad's journal?"

"Nope." Sam said, pulling his phone out.

"Who are you calling?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash will know something." Sam shrugged, glancing over at his brother. "You know, I'm starting to think Tori's right. Maybe Dad and Ellen did have a thing."

I raised an eyebrow, looking back to Dean as he shook his head furiously. "What? No way."

"Then why didn't he tell us about her?"

"I don't know, maybe they had some sort of falling out."

"You ever notice John had a _falling out_ with just about everybody?" I asked, looking between the boys. Dean just nodded silently, not saying a word.

Sam shook his head, lowering the phone. "You know, Dean, this _strong silent_ thing of yours – it's crap."

"Oh, god." Dean mumbled.

"Really. I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man."

"You know what, back off, alright?" Dean snapped. "Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you two want me to-"

"No, that's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it, man."

"Dean, we just want to make sure you're really okay." I said. "That's the only reason we're being so annoying."

"Listen, I'm okay, _okay_? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwing punches." Dean said, looking towards Sam. "These are your issues, quit dumping them on me!"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, oh, what would Dad want me to do? Sam, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you- you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him. And now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry, Sam – but you can't. It's too little, too late."

"Why are you saying this to me?"

"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this. I'm dealing with Dad's death. Are you?"

"I'm going to call Ellen." Sam muttered, bringing the phone back up to dial her number as Dean started walking ahead of us. I glanced back at Sam as he swallowed hard, looking to the ground before stalking over to Dean's side.

"Oh, what now?" Dean complained, throwing an arm in the air.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"That was me telling Sam the truth" Dean said.

"There's a certain way to talk to people, Dean." I said, easily keeping up with his quick pace. "You know, it can't hurt to show that you're sad."

"What do you want me to do? Huh? Cry about it?" Dean asked, turning towards me as he kept walking. "That's not gonna change anything. It's not gonna bring him back."

"Dean, I know that. That's not the point." I said, stopping him from walking by placing a hand on his chest as he breathed heavily. "You're not heartless. This _is_ bothering you more than you're letting on, and it's not a bad thing to show it sometimes. None of us are gonna think any less of you because of that."

Dean stared down into my eyes for a moment, a strange look forming in his green ones as he moved away from me, starting back down the road. I watched after him with sad eyes, letting out a small sigh as I continued walking.

* * *

A little bit later, I was walking slightly behind Dean, trying to give him some space, as Sam spoke to Ellen on the phone in back of me – the three of us still making our way down the road.

"Thanks, Ellen." Sam said, hanging up the phone as he moved a little faster to get to my side. "Rakshasa."

"What's that?" I asked, looking up at him as Dean slowed down a bit, listening in.

"Ellen's best guess." Sam shrugged. "It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited."

"So they dress up like clowns, and the children invite them in." Dean nodded.

"Yeah."

"Why don't they just munch on the kids?"

"No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?"

"Ew." I mumbled, crossing my arms. "What else did you find out?"

"Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects."

"God."

"Nice." Dean muttered, a grossed out look on his face.

"Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years. Slow metabolism, I guess."

"Well, that makes sense. I mean, the Carnival today, the Bunker Brothers in eighty-one."

"Right." Sam nodded. "Probably more before that."

"Hey, who do we know that worked both shows?" Dean asked.

"Cooper?"

"Cooper." Dean nodded proudly.

"You know, that picture of his father, it looked just like him." I said.

"You think maybe it was him?"

"Who knows how old he is?"

"Ellen say how to kill him?" Dean asked, looking over to his brother.

"Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass."

"I think I know where to get one of those."

"Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're going to want to make damn sure it's him."

"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy." Dean said, sharing a small smile with his brother. "Alright, Tori and I will go round up the blade, you go check if Cooper's got bedbugs."

* * *

 **TRAILER – NIGHT**

"Well, I've got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I've got a brass one, though." The blind man muttered, allowing Dean and I inside his trailer before walking over to a trunk, tapping it with his cane.

"Check the trunk."

I glanced up at Dean before opening the trunk, my eyes going wide as I saw what was inside. A red clown wig.

"You?" Dean asked, staring over at the man. I slowly stood as Dean pulled me closer to his side.

"Me." He smiled, pulling off his glasses to reveal that his eyes were perfectly normal before they turned cloudy again, his face melting as he waved before disappearing in front of us.

Dean and I quickly rushed over to the door, frantically trying to get it open when suddenly a knife flew past us, sticking into the door between our heads. The two of us jumped back as another knife landed right next to the one before.

"Alright!" Dean yelled as he finally got the door open, pushing me out first before following quickly, slamming the door behind him as we ran making it a few feet away before stopping.

"Hey!" Sam called, making his way over to us from one of the tents.

"Hey." Dean mumbled, slightly out of breath.

"So, Cooper thinks I'm a Peeping Tom, but it's not him." Sam said, furrowing his brow at our heavy breathing. "Are you guys okay? Wait, you two weren't doing anything _weird_ in a tent somewhere, were you?"

"What?" I asked, catching my breath. "No, Sam. God."

"It's the blind guy." Dean explained. "He's here somewhere."

"Oh, my god." Sam muttered, his eyes going wide. "Well, did you get the-"

"The brass blades?" Dean smiled sarcastically, shaking his head. "No. No, it's just been one of those days."

Sam nodded, thinking for a moment. "I got an idea. Come on."

* * *

 **FUNHOUSE – NIGHT**

The three of us rushed into the funhouse, making our way through when a door slammed behind us. I turned around to see Dean wasn't behind me, but on the other side of the door.

"Dean!" I called, trying to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Dean, find the maze, okay?" Sam said.

"Alright." Dean replied, his voice muffled.

"Come on." Sam said, gently pulling me through the maze until we found a pipe organ.

"Oh my god." I mumbled, watching as the stream puffed out the top of the pipes. "Why is this even here?"

"I don't know." Sam said, trying to grab one of the pipes.

He quickly pulled his hand back with a hiss, muttering something about it being hot. I pulled off my button down, leaving myself in my tank top, before handing the shirt to Sam as we both started pulling the pipe off.

I heard some footsteps approaching, turning to see Dean walking around the corner. "Hey."

"Oh, good. You're okay." I smiled, letting out a breath. "Where is it?"

"I don't know, I mean, shouldn't we see its clothes walking around?" Dean asked, just as a knife went flying by, pinning his sleeve to the wall, followed by another one.

I helped Sam pulled the pipe off all the way before making my way over to Dean, pulling one of the knives from his sleeves as another one flew past me, landing beside our heads again, causing me to stop.

"Where is he?" Sam asked, stalking around cautiously.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, looking around. I spotted a lever beside me, reaching up to pull it. As I did, steam poured from the pipe organ again, allowing us to see a vague shape walking around.

"Sam, behind you!" I called.

"Behind you!" Dean yelled, also seeing it.

Sam quickly turned, stabbing the pipe into the thing behind him without even looking. As he glanced up, he saw the pipe sticking out of the invisible creature, blood pouring out around the base of it. I pulled the remaining knife out of Dean's shirt so we could head over to Sam.

The three of us stood over the bloody pipe and pile of clothes now laying on the floor where the Rakshasa laid - dead.

"I hate funhouses." Dean mumbled, wrapping an arm around me.

* * *

 **ROADHOUSE SALOON – DAY**

Sam sat next to me at the small table in the roadhouse as Dean leaned down on the bar, waiting for Jo to bring out a few beers. Though with the way she was looking at him, something told me she'd take as long as possible.

"You kids did a hell of a job." Ellen nodded. "Your Dad would be proud."

"Thanks, Ellen." I muttered, smiling up at her as she patted a hand on my shoulder before moving to the other side of the bar to get a drink for some guy who'd wandered in a few minutes ago.

"So." Jo started, a smirk in her voice. I tried to subtly glanced around Sam to see what was going on, watching closely.

"So?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Am I gonna see you again?"

"Do you want to?"

"I wouldn't hate it." Jo muttered, smiling at him.

"Can I be honest with you? See, a little while ago, I'd be hitting on you so fast it'd make your head spin." Dean said, shaking his head as he glanced over at me. "But, uh, these days...I don't know."

"Wrong place, wrong time?" Jo asked, pointing to her mother.

"Not quite." Dean replied, nodding over to me.

"Tori?" Jo asked, looking over at me with a strange look as I glanced back down to the table. Sam chuckled at me, shaking his head. "Why is she stopping you?"

"Well, we've kind of got...a thing going." Dean nodded awkwardly.

I swear, he wouldn't say the words _girlfriend_ or _boyfriend_ in front of any one but me, even if somebody paid him. Hell, he barely even says it to me.

"Your _sister?_ " Jo asked, a disgusted look on her face as she openly stared at me, her eyes darting to Dean. Both mine and Dean's eyes widened as we stared at her.

"No! She's not my sister!" Dean exclaimed, glancing back at me. "God, why does everyone think that?"

"Well, Mom said John's _kids_. I just assumed." Jo shrugged, looking down to the bar. "Sorry."

"It- it's alright." Dean nodded, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Guess that's not gonna end anytime soon...?" Jo asked hopefully, gaining a glare from me as she smirked.

"Uh, no." Dean said, shaking his head. "No."

"Alright, then." Jo nodded, handing Dean a few beers.

Ash walked into the room from the back then, carrying a folder and a huge laptop in his arms. "Where you guys been? I've been waiting for ya."

"We were working a job, Ash." I said, looking up at him as he sat down. "Clowns."

"Clowns? What the-"

"You got something for us, Ash?" Dean asked, placing the beers on the table before throwing an arm around my shoulder as he sat down. I got a better look at the homemade-looking laptop as Ash set it down on the table, it's wires sticking out everywhere and hanging down onto the table.

"Did you find the demon?" Sam asked.

"It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie." Ash muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world – my rig will go off. Like a fire alarm."

"Do you mind?" Dean asked, reaching for the laptop. Ash quickly shot him a hard look and he pulled his hand back, tucking it under the table.

"Ash, where did you learn to do all this?" I asked.

"M.I.T. Before I got bounced for... fighting."

"M.I.T.?"

"It's a school in Boston." Ash nodded, finishing his beer as I stared blankly at him in slight shock.

"Okay." Dean said, sharing a look with me before turning back to Ash. "Give us a call as soon as you know something?"

"Si, si, compadre."

Dean took another sip of his own beer before setting back on the table, standing to his feet. I was about to follow him and Sam when I saw Ash pick up Dean's beer, drinking it. I couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. He was certainly a strange person. Interesting, though.

"You alright, little lady?" Ash asked, catching me.

"Oh, uh, yeah." I nodded, backing away. "See you, Ash."

"Sure thing." He nodded, continuing to drink Dean's beer.

Dean shot me a small smile as I walked over to him, tucking me under his arm.

"Hey, listen – if you kids need a place to stay, I've got a couple beds out back." Ellen offered, leaning down on the bar.

"Thanks, but no." Dean declined. "There's something I gotta finish."

"Okay." Ellen nodded. "See you around."

* * *

Once outside, I wrapped my arms around Dean's mid-section, reaching up to place a kiss on his lips as he smiled down at me.

"What was that for?"

"You love me." I smiled, staring up into his green eyes as I thought back to what he'd said to Jo.

"Oh, god." Dean mumbled, trying to hide the smile on his face, holding me tighter to his side as we left the roadhouse behind us, heading back to Bobby's

* * *

 **JUNKYARD – DAY**

I was about to head outside to bring Dean something to drink when I heard Sam's voice coming from over there, causing me to stop in the doorway as I spotted him pacing in front of the car, a stressed look on his face when he finally turned, looking at his brother.

"You were right."

"About what?" Dean asked.

"About me and Dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know he died thinking that I hate him. So you're right. What I'm doing right now, it's too little. It's too late." Sam muttered, his lip trembling. "I miss him, man. And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not all right. Not at all. But neither are you, that much I know."

Dean glanced down at the ground as Sam took another deep breath, backing away. "I'll let you get back to work."

Sam walked up the stares, glancing over at me in the doorway before heading inside with a sigh. I waited a moment, stepping out onto the porch just as I heard a window shatter in the distance. I watched Dean with wide eyes as he moved away from the car window he'd just smashed, starting to slam the crowbar in his hands onto the trunk of the Impala, repeatedly until there was a large dent there.

I breathed heavily watching him with tears in my eyes as he glanced over to the house, the clang of the crowbar hitting the ground echoing through the air. I quickly moved back into the doorway so he wouldn't see me, peaking around the frame to see that he'd turned, leaning down on the car with a heavy sigh.

With a deep breath, I made my way over to him slowly – almost like I was approaching a wild animal. I placed a light hand on his back, causing him to jump slightly as he glanced up at me. I put a hand on his arm, gently turning him around to look up into his tear-filled eyes.

"It's okay." I nodded, pulling him to me tightly as a tear slipped down his cheek. I felt my own tears well up in my eyes as I shut them, resting my head on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay."

We stayed there in silence, just holding onto each other. I knew he needed this, though he'd probably never admit to it. And the chances of him actually talking about what he was feeling right now were slim, so I'd take this over him staying quiet any day. At least it was something.

I knew he thought things like this made him seem weak, but it was just the opposite to me. He was the strongest person I knew, no matter what. I couldn't ever tell him that enough.

I knew the coming months – hell, maybe even years – were going to be tough, but thinking back to what John said just before _it_ happened – it helped me through.

Dean and I, we were stronger together. Even though I may have silly doubts sometimes, I knew that for a fact.

I'm not saying it'll be easy, it'll probably be the furthest thing from that. But as long as we're with each other – we could make it through anything. I truly believed that.

* * *

 **Yay, chapter two!**

 **I don't have much to say right now, except that I hope you enjoyed and I'll check back later for any mistakes.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Bloodlust

_All the emptiness inside you  
Is hard enough to fill  
Without a sense of purpose  
We're setting up to fail  
You don't have to make it right  
Just hold your head up high_

 _Round and round_  
 _I won't run away this time_  
 _Till you show me what this life is for_  
 _Round and round_  
 _I'm not gonna let you change my mind_  
 _Till you show me what this life is for_

 **Imagine Dragons – Round And Round**

* * *

The Impala sped fast down the long stretch of road, _AC/DC_ blaring through the speakers around us as Dean drove happily. He did a great job fixing up the car, and it looked brand new, even better than before. I hadn't seen him in such a good mood in a while, and it made me smile. I felt as though it'd been so long since I'd seen genuine happiness on his face.

"Listen to her purr!" Dean exclaimed, a smile on his face as he pulled me tighter to his side in the front seat. "Have you ever heard anything so sweet?"

"You know, if you three wanna get a room, just let me know." Sam muttered from the backseat.

"Hey, don't involve me in that." I laughed, glancing back at Sam.

"Oh, don't listen to them, baby. They don't understand us." Dean said, patting the dashboard before looking over at me. "And what are _you_ talking about? We have had a lot of good times in that backseat. You should thank her."

"Oh, really?" I grinned, raising an eyebrow as Dean nodded. I rolled my eyes, laughing lightly. "I guess."

Sam glanced to the seat beneath him, shaking his head in disgust. "This is why I always want to sit up front."

"Well, we've done it up here, too." Dean said, a smirk on his face as I chuckled. "Sorry, Sammy."

"Is there anywhere safe?"

"Not really." I muttered, looking back at Sam as he practically turned green.

"Gross." Sam mumbled, letting out a loud sigh as he looked up at his brother. "You're in a good mood, though."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asked.

"No reason."

"Got my car, got my girl- "Dean smiled, squeezing me tighter to his side. "-got a case. Things are looking up."

"Wow. Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows, and you're Mister Sunshine." Sam joked, throwing me a happy look. Even though he was also going through his own things, I knew he was glad to finally see his brother happy.

"How far to Red Lodge?" Dean asked, laughing lightly.

"Uh, about another three hundred miles." Sam muttered, glancing down at the map in his lap.

"Good." Dean nodded, turning his focus back to the road as he drove even faster than before.

I stared up at him for a moment, thinking back to a couple weeks ago when he was practically crying in my arms. Since that moment, he'd barely even spoken to me – or anybody – about John. I mean, not even an hour after he was seemingly back to his normal self.

If Dean was happy, I was happy. Especially now, with how things have been...but it was still slightly unsettling how he stomped his actual feelings down like he did, bottling them up and pushing them aside like they weren't even there.

I wanted desperately to help him, but sometimes I just didn't know how.

* * *

 **RED LODGE, MONTANA  
SHERIFF'S OFFICE – DAY**

The sheriff stood in front of us in the small office space, an irritated look on his face as he placed his hands on his hips. "The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time."

"Sure, we understand that." I nodded. "But just for the record – you found the first, um...head last week, correct?"

"Yes."

"Okay. And the other, a Christina Flanigan."

"That was two days ago. Is there-" The sheriff stopped at a knock at the door, looking over to see a young woman standing there, pointing at her watch with a grimace before turning back to us with a polite smile. "Oh. Sorry, time's up. We're done here."

"One last question." Sam said.

"Yeah, what about the cattle?" Dean asked as the sheriff's face went blank.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, the cows found dead. Split open, drained...over a dozen cases."

"What about them?"

"You don't think there's a connection?"

"Connection with...?" The sheriff asked, raising an eyebrow.

"First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff." Sam said with a small shrug.

"You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff?" Dean asked.

The sheriff stared at us for a moment, a small smile breaking across his face. "You- you're not kidding."

"No."

"Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?"

"How?" I asked.

"Because there's no such thing as _cattle mutilation_. Cow drops, leave it in the sun and within forty eight hours the bloat will split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up, because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan." The sheriff muttered dryly. "What newspaper did you say you work for?"

"World Weekly News." Dean mumbled at the same time Sam and I said. "Weekly World News."

I shot a look at Dean as he stuttered. "World-"

" _Weekly_ _World_." I corrected, smiling over at the sheriff.

"Weekly..." Dean nodded, a small smile on his face. "I'm new."

"Get out of my office." The sheriff said, a stern look in his eyes as he pointed to the door with a scowl. The three of us nodded, quickly making our way out before we made things any worse.

* * *

 **HOSPITAL PARKING LOT – DAY**

As we got out of the Impala, I tried to subtly nod for Sam to go in ahead of Dean and I, without Dean noticing. Thankfully, Sam saw, moving in front of us to go inside as I grabbed Dean's arm, holding him back. He'd just been rushing through the whole day, I hadn't gotten to talk to him for even a moment.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, turning back to me with concerned eyes.

"Nothing." I said, shaking my head. "I just- I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Tori, I am fine." Dean said, looking into my eyes as he held the tops of my arms gently. "I'm fine. Really."

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Dean stared at me for a moment, taking in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I know." Dean nodded, looking down. "You know better than anyone what's going on inside my head right now. I just don't- I don't want to talk right now."

"Okay." I muttered. "But please, whenever you do...just talk to me. Alright?"

"I will." Dean said, bending down to place a kiss on my forehead before wrapping an arm around me, pulling me towards the hospital doors. I leaned into him as we made our way inside the hospital, hoping that he would keep his word.

it didn't matter that I pretty much knew how he was feeling, I still just wanted him to talk to me...was that so bad?

* * *

The three of us entered the brightly lit morgue to find a young intern standing in front of one of the tables, staring over at us questioningly.

"...John?" Dean guessed, glancing down at his name tag, which read _J. Manners._

"Jeff."

" _Jeff_. I know that." Dean nodded quickly. "Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away."

"But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation." Jeff muttered, looking up at Dean with confused eyes.

"Well, he's back. And he's pissed. And he's screaming for you, man, so if I were you I would..." Dean whistled, nodding back to the door as the intern quickly got some papers together before running out. Once he was gone, Dean turned back to Sam and I. "Hey, those satanists in Florida – they marked their victims, didn't they?"

"Yeah, reversed pentacle on the forehead." I replied, following him over to one of the tables in the middle of the room.

"So much fucked up crap happens in Florida." Dean said, handing Sam and I two pairs of latex gloves as he slipped on his own.

Sam took in a deep breath as walked over to one of the compartments, opening the small door before wheeling out a corpse with a box between it's legs.

"Alright, open it." Dean said, nodding over to his brother.

"You open it." Sam retorted.

"Wuss." Dean mumbled. Sam let out a huff, picking up the box and carrying it over to the table. He stared down at it for a moment, collecting himself before taking the lid off.

The moment the top was off, a grimace spread across his face. Dean and I made our way over to his side, our expressions mirroring his as we looked into the box to see the severed head of a young brunette lying there.

"Well, no pentagram." Dean said.

"Poor girl." I muttered sadly.

"Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth. See if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kinda like the moth in _Silence of the Lambs_." Dean suggested.

"Yeah, go ahead." Sam nodded.

"No, you go ahead."

"What?"

" _Put the lotion in the basket_." Dean quoted, a smirk on his face as Sam shook his head.

I pushed Sam out of the way, stepping in front of the box, closing my eyes with a deep breath as I momentarily regretted this. Why didn't I just let them fight it out so one of them could do it?

After opening my eyes again, I started pushing up her top lip, poking my fingers around her mouth. "This is so wrong."

"You volunteered." Dean shrugged, leaning down at the table next to me.

"Shut up." I glared, shaking my head as I went back to what I was doing, a nauseous feeling bubbling in my stomach. "Can I get a bucket?"

"You find something?" Dean asked, straightening quickly.

"No. I'm gonna get sick." I muttered, looking up at him as he stared at the girls mouth.

"Wait, lift the lip up again?"

"You want me to throw up?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I swear, I will puke on you."

"Okay, gross. No. I think I saw something." Dean said, pulling her top lip back again. "What is that, a hole?"

Sam came back over then and the three of us all leaned in slightly as Dean pushed at the tops of her gums. Just as he did that, a tooth-like point jutted out.

"It's a tooth." Sam muttered. The closer I looked at it, I realized what it was.

"Sam, that's a fang." I said, shaking my head. "Retractable set of vampire fangs. I mean, why?"

"Well, this changes things."

"You think?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

I placed the cover over the box, putting it back by the body and pushing the bed in. Dean quickly took his gloves off, suddenly seeming very excited, like he couldn't get out of here fast enough as he made his way to the door before either Sam or I.

Dean paused in the doorway, looking back at us. "Come on, guys, let's go. We got stuff to do."

"Coming." I smiled over at him as he ducked out of the room.

"He seems really happy." Sam commented, glancing over at me as we started to head out.

"Yeah, he does." I agreed, trying not to think how hard Dean was pushing himself just so he could pretend to be okay.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

We hadn't been back at the motel for very long before Dean pulled out the machetes and started cleaning them on the table. I sat on the bed, leaning back on the headboard as I looked up some research on the laptop.

I took in a deep breath, rubbing my eyes, feeling the strain on them from staring at the screen for so long. Sam walked over then, picked up the laptop from it's spot in front of me before sitting on the edge of the bed, placing the computer on his lap to type something in.

"So, someone's already here...killing vampires." I said, looking over at Dean.

"Well, whatever it is – it doesn't matter." Dean shrugged. "You've still gotta smoke the nest, whether we find our mystery guest or not."

"I guess." I shrugged, glancing over at Sam. "Any luck with that address with Christine Flanagan?"

"No, just a PO Box." Sam replied. "And guess what?"

"What?"

"Same with the first victim."

" _Victim_." Dean laughed, shaking his head. "That's funny."

"Dean, they both got hired six months ago." I pointed out.

"Yeah?"

" _Six months_." I repeated. "Doesn't that seem kind of long to you? I mean, weren't the last vampires we dealt with migratory?"

"Well, if you think about it, I mean, they could get a job. They could blend in, you know. Nobody's gonna suspect the cute waitress at the diner, right?" Dean grinned, going back to cleaning the blade in his hands. "So, they get enough people, they bleed them in the nest, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"Okay...but, the missing persons stats around here are average. Hell, they're actually _below_ average." I said.

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing, I guess." I shrugged, folding my arms.

"Maybe they're grabbing their takeout from someplace else. I don't really care." Dean said, a small smile spreading across his face. "All I know is I get to kill some vampires."

That simple reply sent a wave of discomfort running through me as Dean's eyes focused back on the blade in front of him. By no means was I afraid of him, I never was. I doubt I ever would be. But I don't think I'd ever seen him so...excited to kill something before. And it was moments like this that confirmed what I already knew...he wasn't dealing with John's death as well as he claimed. Not at all.

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

People seemed to be everywhere, mulling around and talking loudly in the small bar – which was way too crowded for the size that it was. But I guess that's just what happens sometimes in a small town like this, some people have nothing better to do than get drunk on a weeknight.

"How's it going?" Dean asked the bartender, who looked around the room with tired eyes as we walked up to the bar.

"Living the dream." He replied sarcastically. "What can I get for you?"

"Three beers, please."

"So, we're looking for some people." Sam said, leaning his elbow on the bar.

"Sure." The bartender nodded. "Hard to be lonely."

"Yeah. But um, that's not what I meant." Sam said, pulling out a fifty dollar bill, dropping it on the bar. The bartender glanced down at it for a moment before grabbing it, nodding for Sam to continue. "Right. So these, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably. Pretty rowdy, like to drink..."

"Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night." Dean added.

"Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot – drinkers. Noisy. I've had to eighty-six them once or twice."

"Thanks." I smiled, the three of us moving over to one of the empty tables in the room. I waited a bit before glancing up at Dean, clearing my throat to catch his attention.

"What?"

"You know, Dean...just because the bartender had to kick those people out a few times – it doesn't mean anything." I said, glancing over at Sam, who shrugged.

"I'm sorry, what?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"I'm pointing out that just because they got kicked out of a bar, doesn't meant they're...you know what's." I whispered, leaning forward. "I mean, you've been kicked out of a few bars in your lifetime."

"Yeah but, that's different."

"How?"

"Because..." Dean argued, the two of us staring at each other for a moment. I half expected him to say something else, but he didn't, instead just leaning back in his seat again.

"That's it?" I asked, looking at him blankly. " _Because_?"

Dean shook his head, taking a swig of his beer. I rolled my eyes before narrowing them at Sam, who started chuckling. Just then, I felt the glare of someone's eyes burning into my back, but when I turned to look, all I saw was an empty table, the only thing left there was a smoldering cigarette.

"Did you see anybody sitting there?" I asked, pointing to the table behind us.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Why?"

"Didn't it kind of feel like somebody was watching you?"

"Somebody was watching you?" Dean asked, slight jealousy ringing in his tone as he sat up in his seat.

"I don't know." I mumbled, feeling paranoid as I glanced behind us again.

After a bit, we decided to leave. I couldn't seem to get rid of that same feeling that someone was watching us as we walked outside. Dean made sure he stayed close to me, keeping an arm wrapped around my waist. I glanced up, sharing a look with the boys as we turned down a small alleyway. The three of us ducked into the gap between the buildings, watching as a man walked past us down the alley.

As he turned around, Dean stepped out, pinning him to the wall, holding a knife to his throat. "Smile."

"What?" The man asked, looking surprised as he glanced behind Dean at Sam and I.

"Show us those pearly whites."

"Oh, for the love of- you want to stick that thing someplace else?" The man nodded to the knife. "I'm not a vampire." I shared a look with Sam, glancing back to the man as he grinned. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there."

"What do you know about vampires?"

"How to kill them. Now seriously, bro...that knife's making me itch." He muttered, a small smile on his face. Dean started to loosen his hold when Sam slammed the guy back to the wall again, throwing a questioning look to Dean.

"Not until we're sure." I said, taking a step towards him.

"Fine. See?" The man asked, pulling his lip up to reveal normal gums. "Fangless. Happy?"

Dean glanced back at Sam and I before turning to the man, slowly letting go of him. The man stepped away from the wall, his eyes darting between the three of us as we backed slightly.

"Now, who the hell are you?" He asked.

"I'm-" Dean started, stopping as I quickly placed a hand on his arm, shaking my head.

"I don't see why we have to tell you that." I said, looking up at the man as he watched us closely.

"Well, you did just threaten my life, the least you could do is tell me your names."

"You were practically stalking us, we just-"

"Hey, come on, he's right." Dean said, stopping me.

"Excuse me?"

"What?" Sam asked, looking at his brother with just as much confusion as I was.

"I'm Dean, that's Tori and this is my brother Sam." Dean said, nodding to us with a small smile on his face as he tucked his knife away.

" _Winchester_?" The man asked, looking down at us with wide eyes.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

" _The_ Winchesters." The man smiled. "I can't believe it."

"What did you say your name was?" I asked.

"I don't believe I said it."

"Yeah, I know. What is it?"

"Gordon. Gordon Walker." He said with a grin, turning to head back to the parking lot. "You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter...I heard he passed, I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear you guys fill them. Great trackers, good in a tight spot-"

"You seem to know a lot about our family." I said as we stopped in front of a red car.

"Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk."

"No, we don't, actually."

"I guess there's a lot your Dad never told you, huh?" Gordon asked, staring over at me. I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach, something telling me to not trust him so quickly.

"So, those two vampires, they were yours?" Sam asked.

"Yup. Been here two weeks."

"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Dean asked.

"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."

I raised an eyebrow at Dean, trying to silently tell him _told you so_ as he looked away from me with a huff, turning back to Gordon. "Where's the nest, then?"

"I got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong, it's a real pleasure meeting you three. But I've been on this thing for over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it." Gordon nodded, moving the driver side of his car.

"We could help." Dean suggested.

"Thanks, but uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy."

"Come on, man, I've been itching for a hunt."

"You know, it's probably for the best." I said, shooting a look at Dean. "We don't really work with other hunters, either."

"You know, I think you're right. And hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out." Gordon said, smiling over at me as he got in his car. "It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side."

Dean let out an annoyed sigh as Gordon drove off, turning to walk back to the Impala as few parking spots away.

"Come on, let's just go." I said, catching up with him as Sam trailed behind us.

"No, we gotta stick around." Dean mumbled.

"Why? Let that guy take care of whatever's going on here. We can find something else."

"We're staying."

"Dean, I just don't know how I feel about him."

"Gordon? What do you mean?" Dean asked, turning towards me.

"You didn't get a weird feeling from him?"

"No. He seemed alright."

"Are you serious?" I asked, looking up at him with shocked eyes. What happened to his sense of judgment?

"Come on." Dean said, sliding into the driver side of the Impala without another word before rolling the window down, looking out at Sam and I expectantly.

"Wait, what?"

"Get in, hurry up. We're gonna lose him."

"We're gonna follow him?" Sam asked.

"Yup." Dean nodded.

I glanced up at Sam behind me, noticing the concerned look in his eyes as he watched his brother, who was getting more and more impatient as the seconds passed. I shared a worried look with Sam before quickly getting in the car.

I don't know what is going through Dean's mind, but all I know is that I don't like this.

* * *

 **MILL – NIGHT**

To me, there was no other choice than to stay with Dean after he decided to follow Gordon. I truthfully didn't trust that guy enough to leave Dean alone with him, though Dean could take care of himself, I still didn't like the idea of it.

I usually didn't have a problem with other hunters. Sure, they could be jerks, but I never let it get to me. This guy, though...there was just something about him. I couldn't stop the nagging feeling inside of me. No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, it just wouldn't go away.

The three of us stood behind one of the big crates, watching Gordon struggle with a vampire for a bit before it turned on an electric saw, pinning Gordon down to it. Sam quickly rushed over, pulling Gordon off the saw as I kicked the very caught off guard vampire in the stomach, sending him stumbling back into Dean's arms. I stepped back a little as Dean grabbed the vampire tightly, pinning him down to the saw.

My eyes widened as Dean lowered the saw, an intense look on his face as he held the vampire down, cutting it's head off, blood splattering all over him. I let out a shaky breath, glancing over at Sam to find him looking at Dean with the same stunned expression I was.

"So uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink." Gordon murmured, grinning over at Dean as he stood upright, wiping some blood off his face with his sleeve. I quickly shut the saw off, turning to head back to the Impala without another word as Dean stared after me with a confused look.

I wasn't sure I knew exactly what just happened and I needed a moment to myself.

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

The four of us sat at the small table in the same crowded bar, Dean placed in between Sam and I as Gordon sat across from us. The images of what had happened at the mill kept running through my mind, and I couldn't seem to kick that horrible feeling in my stomach.

Something about seeing Dean covered in blood like that bothered me. It was so brutal. I don't think I'd ever seen Dean kill something so...violently before. That may sound dumb, but it's very true. Whenever we did what we had to do, we did it as quick as possible. But tonight, it was like everything happened in slow motion...and Dean seemed to enjoy every second of it.

There were so many questions running through my head right now...has this happen before and I just never noticed, or is this something new? And either way, what could I do about it?

I wasn't quite sure which one bothered me more.

The young waitress came back to the table then, picking up drinks from the tray she carried, setting them down on the table. Dean reached for his wallet, but Gordon stopped him, pulling out some money of his own.

"No, no, I got it."

"Come on."

"I insist. Thank you, sweetie." Gordon said to the waitress before raising a shot glass. "Another one bites the dust."

"That's right." Dean nodded, clinking their glasses together before drinking. I glanced over at Sam, shaking my head as he sat there with his arms folded.

"Dean, you gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend." Gordon laughed.

"Thank you."

"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."

"Yup." Dean nodded, glancing over at me as I scoffed lightly, trying to cover it up as a cough. "You alright?"

"Totally." I mumbled, taking a swig of the beer I made sure I paid for myself. Sam shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh as he stared across the bar.

"Geez, what's going on here?" Dean mumbled, looking to his brother. "You okay, Sammy?"

"You should lighten up a little, Sammy." Gordon grinned, drinking another shot.

"He's the only one who gets to call me that." Sam spat, nodding to Dean.

"Okay. No offense meant." Gordon shrugged, holding his hands up. "Just celebrating a little job well done."

"Right." Sam nodded, sitting forward. "Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess."

"Oh, come one, man, it's not like it was human. You've gotta have a little more fun with your job."

"See? That's what I've been trying to tell him. You could learn a thing or two from this guy." Dean smiled, gesturing to Gordon. I raised an eyebrow, shaking my head in disapproval.

It seemed to be all I was doing the past hour or so.

"Yeah, I bet I could." Sam mumbled, quickly standing to his feet as he shot me a stressed look. "Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"Sammy? Remind me to beat that buzz kill out of you later, alright?" Dean laughed, throwing Sam the keys. I glared over at Dean, watching Sam as he walked out of the bar.

"Something I said?" Gordon asked, looking over to Dean with a raised eyebrow.

 _Yes._

"Nah, he just gets that way sometimes." Dean said with a shrug. "Tell you what. Match you quarters for the next round."

* * *

"So, I pick up this crossbow and I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart. Sammy's waiting in the car, Tori wasn't with us yet, so me and my dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp." Dean said excitedly. "I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm sixteen years old. Most kids my age are worried about pimples, prom dates. I'm seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So right then, I just sort of-"

"Embraced the life?" Gordon finished.

"Never told me that." I mumbled, glancing over at Dean.

"I didn't?"

"Nope."

"Huh." Dean muttered, shrugging as he turned back to Gordon. "How'd you get started?"

"First time I saw a vampire, I was barely eighteen. Home alone with my sister and I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So I shoot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band." Gordon muttered. "It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone."

"And then?"

"Then...try explaining that one to your family. So I left home. And then bummed around looking for information – how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang, it was my first kill."

"Sorry about your sister." Dean apologized.

"Yeah. She was beautiful. I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago." Gordon shrugged, a strange look in his eyes. "I mean, your dad. It's gotta be rough."

"Yeah, you know. He was just one of those guys. Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around, nothing can kill my dad." Dean said, speaking more about his father than I've heard since had John died.

I almost couldn't believe he was spilling his guts to this completely stranger, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't upset me a little.

"Then just like that he's gone. You know, I feel like...I just feel like I gotta keep my game face on. But, uh, the truth is I'm not handling it very well." Dean continued, glancing over at me before looking back to Gordon. "Feels like I have this-"

"Hole inside you? And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker? Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job." Gordon paused, taking a deep breath. "Know why I love this life?"

"Why?"

"It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of gray. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us. We were born to do this. It's in our blood."

" _Us_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, _us_." Gordon nodded. "We do what has to be done. No second thoughts. You didn't think when it came to handing that fang over to Dean here, did you?"

"Well, I didn't think he was going to-" I stopped, catching the look in Dean's eyes. It was a strange mixture of curiosity, confusion and slight regret. I stared over at him for a moment before looking back to Gordon. "I just- I'm not so sure I agree with you. And uh, I- I think I'm gonna go."

"What?" Dean asked, his voice surprised.

"I'm tired. I- I just want to go."

"Oh, come on. Not you, too." Dean murmured, pouting up at me. "How are you even gonna get back there?"

"I'll call Sam to come get me, it's not that far. He won't mind."

"Really?" Dean asked, watching closely as I stood with a nod. "A- alright."

"I'll see you later." I said, pushing my chair in. I really didn't like the idea of leaving him with Gordon, but I wasn't sure I could sit and listen to another story about killing something told in such an excited way.

What we did, I knew for the most part that it was good. For the better. These things that we killed hurt people. But at the same time, it's not right to make some kind of sport out of it, to take that much pride in killing something like that.

I ran some fingers through Dean's hair, letting my hand rest on his shoulder as I leaned down to press a soft kiss on his cheek. With a small sigh, I turned, feeling his eyes on me as I left the bar.

* * *

 **DPOV**

"I'm just offending everybody tonight, aren't I?" Gordon asked after Tori left, a small smile on his face.

"Oh, no. Don't take it too personally, she's just- she's just tired or...something." I shrugged, trying to hide the worry I was feeling inside.

Tori was upset with me, that much I could tell.

It was a little strange though. I've never seen her get that upset after a hunt, not ever. Part of me was yelling at myself, telling me how stupid I was being right now, that I knew exactly why she was upset. What happened tonight, it was brutal...even for us.

But it had to be done. It was a vampire, what else was I supposed to do? Just sit back and let it kill us? Of course not.

No, I did the right thing.

"So how old was she when your father took her in, again?" Gordon asked, breaking me out of my inner monologue.

"Fourteen." I answered.

"How'd she take to the life at first?"

"Good. Great, actually." I said, a smile on my face as a feeling of pride surged through me. I don't think I'd ever stop being proud of how strong she really is. "She- she's pretty damn good at it. One of the first hunts she ever went on with us, she uh, she saved my life."

"Really?" Gordon asked, not trying to hide his shock at all.

"Yeah."

"I'd like to hear that story sometime."

"Sure, yeah. It'd probably be better if she were here too, though."

"Next time, then?" Gordon muttered with a smile.

"Yeah, definitely." I nodded. "You know, she's a great shot, too."

"I bet." Gordon laughed. "How long have you two been together?"

"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a small grin.

"Yes, it is."

"Six years."

"Long time." Gordon commented, going quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Does she always get like that after a kill?"

"Like what?"

"Upset."

"Oh, uh, no. Not really."

"Because you can't feel guilty after something like that. You can't feel bad about it. You have to have a strong stomach." Gordon said, waving the waitress over to order another round. "You know that though."

"Yeah, no. No, I don't think that was the problem. She's been through a lot, something like that wouldn't get to her..." I mumbled. Even I heard how it sounded like I was trying to convince myself more than anything.

My mind drifted back to the look on her face after she shut off the saw at the mill earlier. I almost didn't know what to make of it. It was like in that split second, she was disappointed...I quickly shook that thought out, not even allowing it to stay in my mind. Tori being disappointed in me...that's one of the worst things I could think of and I never wanted it to happen.

Maybe it was just an off night for her...yeah, I'm sure that's what it was.

Because it was obvious that I only did what I had to do...

* * *

 **TPOV**

After I called Sam to come pick me up, we drove back to the motel in silence – though I knew both of us really wanted to say what was on our minds. Truthfully, I was a little worried that Sam would think I was being too hard on Dean.

We'd only been in the room for about fifteen minutes, but it was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I had no idea how much longer Dean was going to stay out with Gordon, but I hoped they wouldn't do anything stupid.

I trusted Gordon just about as far as I could throw him.

Sam was at the table as I sat cross-legged on one of the beds, flicking around the TV aimlessly. A few minutes passed before I looked over at Sam, who was still staring down at the table.

I couldn't take it anymore, I had to address the elephant in the room.

"What Dean did before at the mill, it really bothered me." I admitted.

Sam glanced up at me tired eyes, nodding. "Me too."

"I really don't trust Gordon, either."

"Yeah, same here." Sam said, a moment passing before he quickly reached to grab his phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked, moving over to the table.

"I have an idea." Sam said, putting the phone on speaker after dialing a number.

" _Harvelle's Roadhouse_." A familiar voice answered.

"Hey, Ellen. It's uh, Sam and Tori-"

"I _t's good to hear from you._ " Ellen said, a smile in her voice. " _You kids are okay, aren't you?_ "

"Yeah, everything's fine. We've got a question."

" _Yeah, shoot._ "

"You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?"

" _Yeah, I know Gordon._ "

"And?"

" _Well, he's a real good hunter. Why are you asking, sweetie?_ "

"Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess." Sam shrugged.

" _Don't do that._ " Ellen ordered quickly, her voice hard.

"I- I thought you said he was a good hunter." Sam said, glancing at me with wide eyes.

" _Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist._ " Ellen scoffed.

"He's that dangerous?" I asked, swallowing hard.

" _Yes. To everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job, you kids just let him handle it and you move on._ "

"Okay."

" _Honey, you keep those boys and yourself away from him. You hear me?"_

"Yes. I will." I said, letting out a heavy breath.

" _Good. Talk to you soon._ " Ellen muttered, hanging up the phone.

"We should go get Dean." I said, glancing up at Sam as he placed the phone down.

"And say what?" Sam asked. " _Time to go, you've had too many_?"

"I'll drag him out if I have to."

"And cause a scene? It'll be too suspicious, Gordon will know something's up."

"I don't care." I snapped, getting irritated.

"Tori, relax." Sam said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I think we should just wait for him to come back."

"But-"

"Once we have him here, we can just leave."

"Fine." I mumbled, standing straight. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Alright." Sam said, standing up next to me. "I'm gonna go grab a soda, you want anything?"

"No thanks." I replied, getting my things together as Sam left before turning to head into the bathroom.

* * *

I heard the loud sound of a door slamming out in the other room as I stepped out of the shower, quickly wrapping a towel around myself.

"Tori!" Dean called, his voice distressed, like something was wrong. I rushed out of the bathroom, stopping my tracks as I saw that Dean wasn't alone, Gordon standing there behind him, staring down at me.

"What is he doing here?" I asked.

"Whoa, hey..." Dean smirked. "Babe, come on we have company. That can wait until later...when we're alone."

"I just got out of the shower, jackass." I muttered, narrowing my eyes at him. "Some warning would've been nice."

"Yeah, sorry." Dean shrugged. "We're gonna figure out some strategy...try and take down the vamp nest."

"Great. Uh, excuse me." I muttered quickly, awkwardly moving back into the bathroom to shut the door.

After a few minutes, I came back out of the bathroom – fully dressed this time – to find Gordon and Dean hunched over a huge map spread out on the table.

"This is the best pattern I can establish. It's sketchy at best." Gordon muttered, glancing back at me.

"Looks like it's all coming from this side of town. Which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?" Dean asked.

"Yup, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's thirty-five – forty farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to search the other half."

"Where is Sam?" I asked, causing both of them to turn around.

"Car's parked outside." Gordon shrugged. "Probably went for a walk. Seems like the take-a-walk type.

"Yeah, he is." Dean nodded, glancing back to me. "How long has he been gone for?"

"A while." I said, moving towards the door when Sam suddenly opened it, breathing heavily. I stared up at him, my eyes going wide. "Sam?"

Sam glanced over at Gordon before looking between Dean and I. "Can I talk to you two alone?"

"You mind chilling out for a couple minutes?" Dean asked Gordon.

"That's probably not the best idea." I mumbled, looking up at Sam as he turned to walk back outside. I shook my head, following him with a sigh as Dean trailed behind, closing the door.

"Dean, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt." Sam said as the three of us walked over to the side of the building

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked. "Where were you?"

"In the nest." Sam told us as my eyes widened.

"You found it?" Dean asked, his voice urgent.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, looking from me to Dean. "And they found me."

"How'd you get out? How many'd you kill?" Dean asked, staring over at his brother.

"None."

"Well Sam, they didn't just let you go."

"That's exactly what they did."

"Really?" I asked, my voice clouded with disbelief. But it had to be true, Sam was here.

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, where is it?" Dean asked, getting impatient.

"I was blindfolded, I don't know."

"Well, you've got to know something."

"We went over that bridge outside of town. But Dean, listen...maybe we shouldn't go after them." Sam said, gaining strange looks from Dean and I.

"Why not?"

"I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people."

"You're joking. Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are." Dean argued.

"The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood."

"And you believed them?"

"Look at me. They let me go without a scratch."

"No, man. No way. I don't know why they let you go, I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em, no-"

"Wait, wait." I said, stopping him. "Why? I mean, if what they're saying _is_ true-"

"Oh, you too? What part of _vampires_ don't you understand?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "If it's supernatural, we kill it. End of story. That's our job."

"No, Dean, that is not our job." I said, looking up at him. "Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil."

"Of course they're killing people, that's what they do. They're all the same. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them." Dean said, glancing down at me. "Come on."

"Dean, I- I'm gonna go with Sam on this one."

"Really? Are you serious?" Dean scoffed, looking away.

"Yes, I am. Just please, take a second to think here, Dean."

"Oh, I'm thinking. I'm thinking that we're gonna go to that nest with Gordon and take out every single last one of those _things_." Dean spat.

"About Gordon..." I paused, as Dean threw his arms out expectantly. "Ellen says he's bad news."

"You called Ellen?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her. No thanks, I'll go with Gordon."

"Right, I forgot that Gordon's such an old pal. You and him go way back, don't you?" I asked as Dean shook his head, getting annoyed with me. "Hey, at least Ellen knew John. That makes me feel a hell of a lot more inclined to trust her over Gordon, who met him _once_. Probably just in passing."

"That doesn't matter."

"Oh, really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when would that not matter?"

"It just doesn't, okay?"

"You know...I know what this is, Dean." Sam said suddenly, stopping us.

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, looking over at him.

"He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he? A poor one."

"Shut up, Sam." Dean snapped.

"He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day."

"You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this." Dean said, taking a few steps away as Sam continued.

"You know, you slap on this big fake smile, but I can see right through it. Because I know how you feel, Dean." Sam said as Dean turned back around. "Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory."

"Okay." Dean nodded, looking down for a moment before punching Sam hard in the face. My eyes widened as I quickly pushed Dean back, moving in between him and Sam.

"Why the hell would you do that!?" I shouted, glaring up at him. Dean didn't say a word, standing there silently staring down into my stunned, angry eyes, breathing heavily.

"You hit me all you want. It won't change anything." Sam said, staring over at his brother with sad eyes.

"I'm going to that nest. You don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself." Dean said, looking at me for a moment before turning to head to the room. Sam let out a low sigh, glancing back at me before following his brother.

I watched both of them go for a few seconds, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

I don't think I'd ever felt as though I didn't know what was going on in Dean's head. But right now, it was like I barely even knew who he was...and I hated it.

With a heavy sigh, I made my way back, knowing I had to help them deal with whatever was happening now. I walked inside to find them both standing there, staring into an empty room.

Gordon was gone.

"Gordon?" Dean called, looking around.

"You think he went after them?" Sam asked.

"Probably." Dean shrugged, letting out a heavy breath.

"Dean, we have to stop him."

"Really, Sam? Because I say we lend a hand."

"Just give me the benefit of the doubt, would you? You owe me that."

"Yeah, we'll see. I'll drive. Give me the keys." Dean said, holding his hand out.

"Would you look at that." I muttered smacking Dean's arm hard, pointing over to the blank spot on the table where the car keys once sat. "The guy Ellen told us not to trust took the keys. What a shock."

Dean glanced back at me, shaking his head with narrowed eyes as he stalked back outside. Sam turned to leave when I placed a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"Yeah." He nodded, looking down.

"Okay." I mumbled. If Sam really was okay with what happened...more power to him.

I knew I wasn't.

* * *

Sam got in the passenger side as I made my way over to the Impala, where Dean was sitting in the front seat, leaning down in an awkward position to hotwire the Impala, an irritated look on his face.

"I can't believe this. I just fixed her up, too."

"Yeah, it's a real shame." I mumbled. Dean glanced up at me, staring for a moment before turning back around as the car finally started. I got into the backseat with a sigh as Dean pulled out of the parking lot.

I swear, I don't think I've ever been this annoyed with him.

"So the bridge, is that all you got?" Dean asked, looking over to Sam.

"The bridge was four and a half minutes from their farm."

"How do you know?" I asked, leaning forward.

"I counted." Sam shrugged, tracing a path on the map he held as I patted his shoulder proudly. "They took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly up a hill, then took another quick right and we hit the bridge."

"You're good. You're a monster pain in the ass, but you're good." Dean murmured, pulling out of the parking lot. Every so often, he'd glance back at me in the rear-view mirror, catching my eye. I just shook my head, going back to staring out the window.

I needed time to process what happened back in that parking lot, and that was going to take a bit longer than a few measly minutes in the car.

* * *

 **FARMHOUSE – NIGHT**

We pulled up in front of an older looking, slightly run-down farmhouse, the three of us quickly getting out of the car and making our way inside to find Gordon standing behind a woman tied to a chair, covered in cuts all over her arms and chest. My eyes widened at the sight as Gordon dipped his knife into a jar of blood, circling around the back of the chair before slicing the knife across her chest.

"Sam, Dean, Tori. Come on in." Gordon said, smiling up at us.

"Hey, Gordon. What's going on?" Dean asked, his eyes changing from charged and somewhat excited to slightly nervous.

"Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood." Gordon muttered casually. "She's going to tell us where all her little friends are. Wanna help?"

"Look, man-"

"Grab a knife." Gordon said, stopping Dean. "I was just about to start in on the fingers."

My stomach flopped hearing Lenore cry out as Gordon cut another long gash into her chest.

"Whoa, hey, let's all just chill out, huh?" Dean asked, holding a hand out.

"I'm completely chill." Gordon said in a monotone voice.

"Gordon, put the knife down." I hissed, taking a step forward. Dean immediately stopped me, putting a hand out in front of me.

"Sounds like it's Tori here that needs to chill."

"Just step away from her, alright?" Sam asked.

"You're right. I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk, might as well put her out of her misery." Gordon said, pulling out an even bigger knife. "I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane."

"We're letting her go." I said, pushing Dean's arm away.

"You're not doing a damn thing." Gordon muttered, pointing the knife at me as he walked over.

"Hey, Gordon, let's talk about this." Dean said.

"What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of gray."

"Yeah. I hear you. And I know how you feel."

"Do you?"

"That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one-"

"Killed my sister?" Gordon laughed. "That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down, and I killed her myself."

"You did what?" Dean asked, shock covering his face as my stomach dropped. This guy really was sick.

"It wasn't my sister anymore, it wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you."

"So you knew all along, then?" Sam asked. "You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle. And you just didn't care."

"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that? Trust me. Doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it."

Gordon quickly grabbed Sam, placing the knife to his throat as he pulled him to his side so Dean and I couldn't do anything in fear of the psycho hurting Sam. I saw the anger build in Dean's eyes as he watched Gordon drag his little brother over to Lenore.

"Let him go. Now!" Dean exclaimed, pulling his gun out, pointing it at Gordon.

"Relax. If I wanted to kill him, he'd already be on the floor." Gordon said. "Just making a little point."

Sam closed his eyes in pain as Gordon ran a knife across his arm, placing it back on his throat before holding Sam's arm over Lenore's head so the blood could drip onto her face. I stared down at her with wide eyes as she let out a hiss, her fangs coming down.

"Stop it." I said, my eyes darting to a nervous looking Sam and Dean before glancing back to Lenore.

"You think she's so different? Still want to save her?" Gordon asked, squeezing Sam's arm so more blood came out as he nodded down. "Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, bloodthirsty."

"No. No." Lenore mumbled, shutting her eyes tight, looking down as her fangs disappeared. I stared over at her in slight shock as she controlled herself.

"You hear her, Gordon?" Sam asked.

"No!" The girl cried, shaking her head.

Sam pushed the knife away from his throat, shoving Gordon back as he moved a few feet from him. "We're done here."

"Sam, get her out of here." Dean said, nodding to the vampire.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, moving towards the girl. He gently picked her up in his arms, her head lulling back in her weakness.

Gordon took a step towards Sam, but Dean quickly shook his head, his gun stilled trailed on him. "Gordon, I think you and I've got some things to talk about."

"Get out of my way."

"Sorry."

"You're not serious?" Gordon asked, glancing behind Dean as Sam, who was still holding Lenore.

"I'm having a hard time believing it, too. But I know what I saw." Dean muttered, glancing down to me, nodding for me to go with Sam. I looked up into his eyes for a moment, seeing traces of regret there as he turned back to Gordon. "If you want those vampires, you gotta go through me."

Gordon nodded, stabbing his knife into the table. "Fine."

I watched Dean take the clip out of the gun, placing both on the table before opening the door to lead Sam outside. The thought of leaving Dean bothered me, I didn't want to do it, but I knew he could take care of himself and right now, Sam and Lenore needed my help.

The moment we were outside, I heard a lot of commotion coming from in the house. I wanted nothing more than to go back in there, but I stopped myself, instead helping Sam place Lenore gently on the steps as she swayed.

"Thank you." She mumbled, looking up at us with sincere eyes.

"Y- you're welcome." I replied, looking down at her with a small smile. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Lenore nodded weakly, leaning on the railing as I quickly got Sam's arm bandaged so he wouldn't be bleeding everywhere.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Sam asked.

"No." Lenore said, shaking her head. "No, I'll be okay."

"Okay." I nodded. I never thought I'd be having a civilized conversation with a vampire, but I guess there really is a first time for everything.

There was one last, loud bang from inside the house before everything fell silent. I shared a worried look with Sam, rushing into the house to see Dean tying Gordon to a chair.

"What are you doing, man? You doing this for a fang? Come on, Dean, we're on the same side here." Gordon said.

"I don't think so, you sadistic bastard."

"You're not like your brother. You're not like Victoria. You're a killer. Like me."

"You know, I might be like you, and I might not." Dean muttered, tugging on the tight knot at the back of the chair before walking around in front of Gordon. "But you're the one tied up right now."

"Dean." I called, getting his attention.

I felt my heart drop as I saw the bruises on his face when he looked up at me, closing my eyes for a moment as I leaned against the wall, trying to stomp down the anger so I wouldn't go over there and start throwing punches at Gordon.

It might have been silly, but seeing Dean like that made me forget all the reasons why I was upset at him, if only for that moment. I couldn't stand seeing him hurt...it bothered me more than anything.

"One second." Dean said, turning to Gordon for a moment. "Do not move."

Gordon rolled his eyes as Dean walked back over to me, a questioning look in his eyes. "How's Lenore?"

"She seems to be okay. The rest of them, they're coming to get her."

"...good." Dean nodded, looking down to the ground.

"So, what happened in here?" I asked, peeking around him at an annoyed looking Gordon, who was in even worse condition than Dean.

"Eh, not much."

"Looks like it." I shook my head, letting out a low laugh. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Dean said adamantly, nodding quickly. But I could see the look in his eyes. Even though he was trying to hide it from me, I could see the guilty, and still slightly unsure look lying there.

I heard the sound of an engine getting closer, looking out of the open door to see a truck quickly driving up to the house. I cradled his face in my hand for a moment, running my thumb along the bruise forming on his cheek as I let out a sigh, heading back outside to make sure Lenore and her family made it out of here alright.

* * *

After everyone was gone, and a good ways away, Sam and I headed back into the house, finding Dean pacing in front of Gordon.

"Lenore get out okay?" Dean asked, turning to us.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "All of them did."

"Then I guess our work here is done." Dean shrugged, turning back to Gordon. "How you doing, Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet?" Gordon glared up at Dean, narrowing his eyes. "Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you."

Dean jammed Gordon's knife into the table, staring down at him for a moment before turning back to Sam and I. "Ready to go?"

"I guess this is goodbye." I muttered, walking over to Gordon. Dean stood back slightly, staying close behind me as Gordon glared up at me. "I have to say, this has been an interesting experience. I mean, I knew people could be assholes...but you, you take the cake."

I took one small step closer, punching Gordon hard, causing the chair to fall over on it's side as he let out a pained grunt. I bent down closer to him as he glanced up at me, a furious look on his face.

"And for the record, Dean is _nothing_ like you." I hissed, standing upright, shaking my hand out as I turned to see Dean standing there with a small smile on his face. "God, that felt good. We can go now."

I passed Sam and Dean as they shared an amused look, making my way outside. The three of us headed down the steps, moving over to the car when Dean poked Sam's arm, steadying himself on his feet in a boxer's stance as Sam turned towards him.

"Sam? Clock me one."

"What?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Come on. I won't even hit you back. Let's go."

"No."

"Let's go, you get a freebie. Hit me, come on." Dean pushed.

"You look like you just went twelve rounds with a block of cement, Dean. I'll take a raincheck." Sam said. Dean nodded, glancing down to the ground.

"I have something to say." I said, calling Dean's attention back to me. I took a step towards him, his eyes widening as I narrowed mine, anger written all over my face. "Now, I'm gonna let it go this time _...but_ if you ever, and I mean _ever_ , put anyone – especially someone like _that_ – over your own family again, you will have to deal with me. We're all we have left, we can't just throw that away because of some idiot! Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Dean nodded. I raised an eyebrow, rolling my eyes as he closely watched me take a step back.

"Apologize." I said, nodding to Sam.

"What?"

"Apologize, Dean." I repeated, crossing my arms as Dean rolled his eyes, letting out a huff.

"Sorry." Dean mumbled, barely above a whisper.

"What was that?" Sam asked, cupping a hand around his ear, a small smirk on his face. "I didn't hear you clearly, what was that?"

"I'm not saying it again, ass-hat." Dean said, his voice back to full volume.

"Oh my god." I sighed. "I swear, you two are hopeless."

"You know, I wish we never took this job. It's jacked everything up." Dean said, looking down as we turned back to the Impala.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Think about all the hunts we went on, our whole lives...what if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us..."

"Dean, after what happened to Mom, Dad did the best he could." Sam said.

"I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us, to hate those things – and man, I hate them, I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill, I didn't even think about it. Hell, I even enjoyed it."

"Yeah, that was a little unsettling." I mumbled, playing with the ends of my hair.

"I know." Dean nodded sadly, glancing down.

"But you didn't kill Lenore."

"No, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill them all."

"Yeah, Dean, but you didn't." Sam said. "And that's what matters."

"Yeah. Well, 'cause you're a pain in my ass." Dean mumbled, a small smile on his face as he looked up at his little brother.

"Guess I might have to stick around to be a pain in the ass, then." Sam smirked, sliding into the passenger side of the Impala.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Sam said, shutting the door. Dean let out a small sigh, turning back to me with uncertain eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm sorry...you know, for letting Gordon get into my head like I did. It was really stupid of me."

"Yes, it was."

"How long are you gonna stay mad at me?" Dean asked, looking down at me with his big green eyes.

"I don't know..." I muttered, watching his face fall. I rolled my eyes, not being able to keep it up anymore as I reached up to place a kiss on his lips, catching him off guard.

"Whoa." Dean murmured, blinking a few times as an excited look crossed his eyes. "Does this mean we're gonna have angry sex?"

"Angry sex doesn't work if only one of the two is angry, Dean." I pointed out, locking my arms around his neck as he placed his hands on my hips.

"Well, I'm sure we can find some way...I can get angry." He said, a smirk appearing on his lips. I shook my head, pulling him down for another kiss. He was much more receptive this time, pulling me close to him.

A few moments later, I pulled back, smiling up at him as we got in the Impala. Sam glanced between the two of us, sharing a small smile with his brother as Dean started the car – with keys this time – pulling out onto the road. I leaned against the door, staring out the window, letting my mind drift.

Truthfully, it still bothered me that in such a short time, Gordon got so much control over Dean. I'd always thought of Dean as a very strong willed person – and he was – so it was strange to see that in a vulnerable moment, someone really could get into his head like that.

But I'd like to think he learned his lesson after all of this.

One thing I never thought I'd see was Dean actually punching Sam like he did. I think that's what got to me more than anything. I mean, I knew Dean could have a bit of a temper, but he controlled it well and only let it go that far if the person deserved it. Maybe Sam was being a little harsh, but it was obviously uncalled for.

And I knew Sam knew why it happened, that's why he didn't fight back...because he knew his brother was hurting. It was sad to say, but I knew Dean didn't really know how to deal with what he was feeling right now. All he knew how to do was bottle it up and pretend everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.

I wish he'd just realize that maybe if he talked about John, he wouldn't feel so angry and upset. He wouldn't feel the need to do what he did.

But something we all knew, something we were all on the same page about without even having to say it, was that anything that happened these past couple days...we just had to let it go. For our own sanity, and for the sake of this family. There was too much pain, stress and grief going on already without us holding grudges.

We had to be there for each other more than anything right now, no matter how hard it got.

I tried to be positive, hoping that in a few months we'd be at least a little bit better off. It was hard, but I didn't want to think of the other possibilities. The ones where things only get worse for us.

If I thought that way, I'd probably never want to get out of bed.

* * *

 **Long time no updates!**

 **I'm sorry guys, but this has been a pretty busy month so far. Last week was fourth of July and then my birthday...lots going on. I had serious writers block with this chapter and a few ideas that I wasn't sure if I liked or not. I ended up not using them, but I'm glad now that I didn't because I do like the way this came out.**

 **As always, I'll check back later for any mistakes.**

 **Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! :D**


	4. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

_It's taking too long to decide  
And I don't want to be the one, the one  
Crying over wasted time  
If you think you're strong enough to let me in  
Then come on  
Stand up and be honest, be honest  
I'm tired of feeling so alone  
'Cause you won't let me understand  
I don't wanna pretend  
I wanna feel, I want to love  
_… _.._

 _I'm tired of holding on so tight  
When you won't let me understand  
Now I'm falling apart  
I never meant to lose myself  
_… _.._

 _Like drops of rain against my heart  
Cut through like silver  
And I want to make you feel that way  
And I want to make you feel the way that I do_

 _Say you will or say you won't_  
 _Open your heart to me_  
 _Now or never, tell the truth_  
 _Is this real, is this real?_  
 _Say you will or say you won't_  
 _Open your heart to me_  
 _Now or never, tell the truth_  
 _Is this real, is this real?_

 _ **Evanescence – Say You Will**_

* * *

It'd been a few days since Montana, and things have been somewhat back to normal. Dean was back to pretending like he was fine, like everything was okay. Sam was still trying to force things out of him every so often, adamant about trying to get him to talk.

I didn't push as hard, waiting for Dean to talk whenever he was ready. Which, knowing him, could be never. I couldn't get mad though. I knew it wasn't because he didn't _want_ to speak to us, it's just how he is.

I came out of the bathroom, tightening the ponytail I'd just put my hair in as Dean threw things into a duffel bag, letting out a loud huff.

"Come on, Sam, I'm begging you. This is stupid."

Dean and I had spent the night alone together, and everything seemed pretty peaceful then. It was just the two of us, things were calm. We could relax.

Though the moment we got up and went to see what Sam was up to, that peace was shattered by Sam's idea to go and visit Mary's grave.

"Why?" Sam asked, already heading for the door with his own bag.

"Going to visit Mom's grave? She doesn't even have a grave." Dean said. "There- there was no body left after the fire."

"She has a headstone."

"Yeah, put up by her uncle, a man we've never even met. So you wanna, go pay your respects to a slab of granite put up by a stranger?"

"Dean, that's not the point."

"Well then, enlighten me, Sam."

"It's not about a body, or, or, a casket." Sam said, shrugging as a sad look covered his face. "It's about her memory, okay? And after Dad it just- just feels like the right thing to do."

"It's irrational, is what it is."

"Look, man. No one asked you to come."

"Why don't we swing by the roadhouse instead?" Dean asked, glancing over at me. "I mean, we haven't heard anything on the demon lately. We should be hunting that son of a bitch down."

"That's a good idea, you guys should do that. Just drop me off, I'll hitch a ride, and I'll meet you there tomorrow." Sam said.

"Right." Dean muttered. "Like we want to be stuck with those people, making awkward small talk until you show up? No thanks."

"Fine, then." Sam nodded, heading out to the car.

I made my way over to Dean's side, leaning my head against his arm. "Maybe this'll be good for you."

" _Good for me_?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Dean." I said, wrapping my arms around his. "You are allowed to mourn, you know."

"I don't need to... _mourn_. I'm fine." Dean shrugged, breaking away from me to grab his jacket.

"Okay." I murmured, slipping on my own jacket as Dean grabbed the bag off the bed, the two of us heading out to the Impala.

* * *

 **GRAVEYARD – DAY**

The wind slowly blew through the trees scattered around the cemetery, the sunlight shining down on the thick grass through breaks in the clouds. Sam and I made our way over to Mary's headstone, leaving Dean by himself a good distance away. I tried to get him to come, but he wouldn't budge.

Sam knelt down in front of a headstone reading: Mary Winchester, 1954-1983, In Loving Memory. He dug a small hole in the ground with his knife, pulling a set of dog tags out of his pocket with a sigh.

"I think- I think Dad would have wanted you to have these." Sam muttered, placing them in the hole before smoothing the dirt over them. "I love you, Mom."

I couldn't help the tears that formed in my eyes, thinking about Mary. I knew from the times John did talk about her, and the little things Dean had told me, from what he remembered, that Mary was truly an amazing person. It saddens me that I'll never really get to meet her.

I took a few steps away from Sam, giving him a moment as he looked down at the headstone with tears in his eyes. I glanced behind me, seeing Dean staring down at another gravestone, a pensive look on his face. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to a dead tree, stopping in front of it.

I couldn't help but notice the perfect ring of dead grass surrounding the tree. It was a little unusual, but I'm sure there's an explanation for it. Though I could tell by the look on Dean's face, he thought there was something there.

I looked back behind me as I heard Sam's footsteps approach, shooting him a small smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sam mumbled, taking a deep breath. "Where's Dean?"

I glanced over to him again, seeing Dean talking to a guy in a suit. "Over there."

"What is he doing?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Done already?"

"Yeah...yeah, I think so." Sam said. I nodded, glancing back down at the headstone one more time before walking towards Dean with Sam. Dean grabbed a card from the man he was speaking to, turning to us as he walked away.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Angela Mason. She was a student at the local college. Her funeral was three days ago." Dean said.

"Okay."

" _Okay_? Did you see her grave? Everything was dead around it. In a perfect circle. You don't think that's a little weird?"

"Maybe the groundskeeper went a little agro with the pesticide." Sam shrugged.

"No, I asked him. No pesticide, no chemicals. Nobody can explain it."

"So what are you thinking?" I asked, moving in between the boys as we walked back to the Impala.

"I don't know. Unholy ground, maybe?" Dean suggested. Sam shot him a disbelieving look, shaking his head. "What? If something evil happened there, it could easily poison the ground. Remember the, the farm outside of Cedar Rapids?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Could be the sign of a demonic presence. Or this Angela girl's spirit, if it's powerful enough." Dean finished, glancing over at his brother, who hadn't responded. "Well, don't get too excited, you might pull something."

"It's just... stumbling onto a hunt? Here, of all places?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So?"

" _So,_ are you sure this is about a hunt, and not about something else?"

"What else would it be about?"

Sam let out a loud huff, shaking his head as he got into the passenger side. "You know, just forget about it."

"You believe what you want, Sam, but I let you drag my ass out here. The least we could do is check this out."

"Yeah. Fine."

"Girl's dad works in town. He's a professor at the school."

"Okay." Sam nodded, shutting the door.

Dean glanced down at me, shaking his head. "Isn't this worth looking into?"

"Sure." I nodded, smiling up at him.

* * *

 **SCHOOL BUILDING – DAY**

The three of us stood in front of Dr. Mason's office door, waiting as we heard his quiet footsteps move over to it, opening the door with a questioning look.

"Dr. Mason?" I asked, a small smile on my face.

"Yes?"

"Hi. I'm Tori, that's Sam and Dean." I said, nodding back to the boys. "We were friends of Angela's. We wanted to offer our condolences."

Dr. Mason nodded, stepped aside. "Please, come in."

We walked into the small, neat office. A few big bookshelves lining the walls next to a window, and plants on the windowsill. Dr. Mason gestured to the blue couch in the room for us. Sam and I took a seat as Dean went over to the bookshelf, looking through the books there.

Dr. Mason didn't waste much time, pulling out a photo album to show us pictures of his daughter. It was heartbreaking, really. The look on his face was so broken, it was sad.

"She was beautiful." Sam muttered, looking at the photo of the brunette.

"Yes, she was." Dr. Mason nodded.

"This is an unusual book." Dean said, showing us the cover of the book he was flipping through by one of the book shelves, nodding to the Greek letter carvings above a triangular shape.

"It's ancient Greek. I teach a course." Dr. Mason explained.

"We're sorry to bother you on such short notice, Dr. Mason." I said, letting out a breath. "It's just- the car accident. I mean, it was so sudden."

"Angie was only a mile away from home when, uh..."

"It's gotta be hard. Losing someone like that. Sometimes it's like they're still around. Almost like you can still sense their presence. You ever feel anything like that?" Dean asked. I stared over at him, worry clear in my eyes as Dean avoided them, looking back down to the book in his hands.

"I do, as a matter of fact." Dr. Mason said, tearing up.

"That's perfectly normal, Dr. Mason." I muttered, my eyes darting from him to Dean. "Especially with what you're going through, it's not easy."

"You know, I still call her. And the phone's ringing before I remember that, uh..." Dr. Mason stopped, looking down for a moment. "Family's everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I'm just lost without her."

"We're very sorry." Sam said.

Dr. Mason clearly wanted to be left alone to grieve. I'm sure he didn't want to talk to strangers about his daughter right now, and we weren't finding much out from him anywhere. So, we didn't say much longer, leaving after that.

* * *

 **MOTEL ROOM – NIGHT**

We weren't back at the motel for very long before Sam wanted to pack up and leave, go out looking for a _real_ job, a suggestion Dean didn't like too much.

I sat at the foot of one of the beds, feeling like I was at a tennis match as my eyes darted back and forth between Sam and Dean while they spoke in front of me.

"I'm telling you, there's something going on here." Dean said. "We just haven't found it yet."

"Dean, so far you've got a patch of dead grass and nothing." Sam argued.

"Well, something turned that grave into unholy ground."

"There's no reason for it to be unholy ground. Angela Mason was a nice girl who died in a car crash. That's not exactly vengeful spirit material. You heard her father."

"Yeah, well, maybe Daddy doesn't know everything there is to know about his little angel, huh?"

"You know what? We never should have bothered that poor man." Sam said, glancing down at me. "We shouldn't even be here anymore."

"So what? What, we just bail? Without even figuring out what's going on?" Dean asked, throwing his arms out to the side.

"I think I know what's going on here. It's the only reason I went along with you this far."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is about Mom's grave."

"That's got nothing to do with it." Dean scoffed, turning away from his brother.

"You wouldn't step within a hundred yards of it. Look, maybe you're imagining a hunt where there isn't one so you don't have to think about Mom. Or Dad." Sam said, bracing himself as Dean turned back around slightly. "You wanna take another swing? Go ahead, if it'll make you feel better."

"I don't need this crap." Dean muttered, grabbing his jacket and keys, heading for the door.

"Dean, where're you going?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to go get a drink. Alone."

"Dean, come on. Don't go." I said, standing to my feet.

"I just need some time by myself." Dean mumbled, shutting the door behind him.

"Great." I huffed, throwing my hands up, turning back to Sam. "Did you have to push it like that?"

"What?" Sam asked, his eyes widening. "Are you serious?"

"That isn't gonna work with Dean."

"So what, we just sit around and wait for him to talk?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Sam, you should know that. If Dean's not gonna talk on his own, he's certainly not gonna do it when you force him."

"...I know." Sam huffed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "But something's eating away at him. Doesn't he get that we can see that?"

"I don't know. But I'll be honest, it does scare me." I admitted. "I want him to talk more than anything. But it has to be when he's ready."

"Yeah." Sam nodded, looking up at me. "I didn't hear the car start."

"Me either." I said, grabbing my jacket before heading over to the door. "I'll go check on him."

"See you later." Sam muttered as I slipped my jacket on, stepping outside.

The Impala was parked in the same spot as before, only now Dean was sitting behind the wheel, staring at the top of the building behind me. I made my way over to the passenger side, knocking lightly on the window. Dean's eyes snapped to mine as I opened the door, leaning inside.

"What happened to going out for a drink?"

"Oh, uh-" Dean paused, looking like he was wracking his brain for an excuse before he shrugged, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. "I figured you were gonna come out here...so I just, you know, waited."

"Aw." I smiled, sliding into the passenger seat. "That's cute. I thought you wanted to be alone."

Dean shook his head, letting out a sigh as he stared down at the steering wheel. I could see the battle going on inside of him, trying to decide if he should talk to me or not. In the end, I guess he decided against it, starting the car instead.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, I got Angela's address. Figured we could go check it out."

"We're gonna break into a dead girl's home? To do what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Find more about her. And don't say it like that." Dean complained.

"How else should I say it?"

"Not like that. That makes it sound wrong."

"It _is_ wrong, Dean." I said, an amused look on my face.

"Well, we gotta do it. Plus, it's not breaking in if you have keys." Dean said, pulling a set out of his pocket.

"How did you get those?" I asked, my eyes going wide

"Don't worry about it." Dean said, glancing over at me with a questioning look. "Listen, I really think there's something going on here."

"Yeah, I can see where you'd think that." I nodded.

"Oh, god." Dean groaned. "Don't tell me you believe what Sam's saying."

"I never said that."

"Do you?" Dean asked.

"Do I what?

"Believe him."

"No." I said, looking over at him. Dean raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. "...maybe. Only a little."

"Really?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Dean, I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, when was the last time you actually told me how you were feeling?" I asked. Dean glanced down, looking back to the road as he drove.

"I'm just- I don't want to talk. There's nothing to talk about."

"Really? Nothing at all? You're never gonna talk about how you're feeling?"

"I- I don't know." Dean mumbled, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"Fine." I said, breathing out a sigh, letting it go like he wanted me to.

"Oh, come on. Don't do that."

"Do what, Dean?"

"Get mad."

"I'm not mad."

"You're not?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not mad." I said, folding my arms. "I'm frustrated and that's different."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"All I want is for you to talk to me, and it doesn't matter how much I ask, you always brush it off."

"Can we not do this now?" Dean asked, looking over at me with sad eyes. "Please?"

I stared into his green eyes for a moment, seeing all the emotions swirling around there. Something _was_ eating away at him and breaking him down inside. I didn't want to make it worse.

"Alright." I nodded.

"I'll talk about it, I will. Just- just not now."

"Okay." I muttered, placing a hand on his knee. "I'll be here for you."

"I know, Cherry Pie." Dean murmured, shooting me a small smile before turning back to the road.

In the end, I knew I had no right to push him. Not when I, myself had things I was holding back that were bothering me. Why would it be right for me to force Dean into talking when I wouldn't myself?

* * *

 **ANGELA'S HOME – DAY**

Dean and I slowly entered the apartment, closing the door quietly behind us as we made our way through the living room. I picked up a framed picture of Angela and another dark-haired girl sitting on the end table beside the couch, seeing the reflection of a brunette standing behind us.

I smacked Dean on the arm, nodding to the girl as we turned to face her. She stared at us for a moment before running back into the bathroom behind her, shutting herself in.

"Wait, hold on!" Dean called.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Uh-"

"I'm calling 9-1-1!"

"We're Angela's cousins!" Dean stuttered out, glancing over at me with a shrug.

"What?" The girl asked, her voice sounding a little less fearful than before.

"Yeah, her dad sent us over to, uh, pick up her stuff."

The girl opened the door slightly, peaking out at us. "Her dad didn't say that you were coming."

"Well, I mean, how else would I have the key to your place?" Dean asked, holding up the keys with an awkward laugh.

"What are your names?"

"We are, uh, Alan and Gail...Stanwyk?" Dean nodded. It came out like more of a question though, his tone sounding extremely unsure. I grimaced at the names, thankful that the girl either didn't put enough thought into it, or simply didn't get it.

"I'm Lindsey." She muttered, walking all the way out of the bathroom. "Angela never mentioned you."

"Well, we mostly hung out when we were kids." I said. "We haven't seen her in a while."

"Oh." Lindsey nodded, moving into the kitchen.

"Nice one." Dean whispered, leaning down towards me.

"Thanks, _Alan_."

"I couldn't come up with anything else, okay? I panicked." Dean muttered. I glanced up at him, an exasperated look on my face as I rolled my eyes.

"Can I get you anything?" Lindsey asked, peaking around the wall.

"Oh, no, we're fine thanks." I replied, walking over to her as she moved to the couch in the living room.

"I put together a little box of Angela's books and CD's out here, if you want to take those. Having them around is too sad for me."

"Oh, yeah, sure." I nodded, taking the small box from her.

"Hey, so, I'm sure you got a view of Angela that none of the family got to see." Dean muttered. "What- what was she like? I mean, what was she _really_ like?"

"She was great. Just great." Lindsey shrugged, slowly sinking down to the couch. "I mean, she was so...so..."

"Great." Dean finished.

"Yeah. Yeah..." Lindsey mumbled, tears filling her eyes as she threw her head into her hands, sobs starting to wrack her body.

I shared a worried glance with Dean, pushing the box into his hands, reaching over to the small coffee table to grab a tissue before sitting down next to Lindsey, handing it to her. She grabbed it quickly, sobbing even harder.

"You two must have been really close, huh?" I asked.

"We were. But it's not just her, it's Matt."

"Who?" Dean asked, sitting beside me.

"Angela's boyfriend."

"Right, Matt. What about him?"

"He killed himself last night. He cut his own throat." Lindsey told us. My eyes widened at the news as she continued. "Who does that?"

"That's terrible." I mumbled.

"He was taking Angela's death pretty hard, and I guess...I mean, he'd been messed up about it for days."

"Messed up how?" Dean asked.

"He kept saying that he saw her everywhere." Lindsey said, wiping a tear from her cheek with the tissue.

"Well, I'm sure that that's normal. I mean, with everything that he was going through."

"No, he said that he _saw_ her." Lindsey muttered, her eyes going wide. "As in, an acid trip or something."

"Were Angela and Matt a happy couple?" Dean asked. "I mean, is there any reason that Angela would be angry with him?"

"What? No, of course not, why do you ask?"

"Just asking." Dean shrugged, sharing a quick look with me. "Where did Matt live?"

* * *

After Lindsey gave us Matt's address, we left, giving her some story about how we'd be back later for some of her other stuff. To be honest, I had gotten so good at lying since being with the Winchester's, I almost didn't even realize when I was doing it.

"So, you think Angela killed Matt?" I asked, getting in the passenger side of the Impala, the box still in my lap. I almost felt bad taking this box of Angela's things with me, but I had no other choice.

Maybe we could sneak them back inside.

"I'd say so. I mean, why would Matt kill himself?" Dean asked, looking through the box.

"I don't know." I mumbled, watching him pull out a small, pink book. He grimaced at it, flipping through the pages. "You shouldn't look through her things."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean murmured, staring intently at the pages.

"Dean?"

"Huh."

"Dean." I repeated, knowing he wasn't paying any attention to me at all, his nose shoved in the book. I let out a sigh, ripping the diary out of his hands.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, reaching for the book. I shook my head, shoving it back into the box before placing it by my feet on the floor of the car.

"You're seriously snooping through a dead girl's diary?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm doing research."

"Oh, please. Come on, let's go."

"But-"

"Dean."

"Fine." Dean huffed playfully, starting the car.

* * *

 **MATT'S APARTMENT – DAY**

Dean and I successfully got into Matt's apartment, we'd only been here for a little bit just looking through some things to see if we could find anything.

"So, Dean...can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Dean nodded from across the room. "What is it?"

"Will you answer?"

"Depends on what the question is."

I let out a small sigh, glancing down the ground before meeting his eyes again. "Why didn't you want to visit Mary's grave?"

Dean let out a breath, looking away for a moment as he thought through what he was about to say. "I just- I don't see the point."

"You don't think it'll help you in any way?"

"Looking at a headstone isn't gonna bring her back, is it?"

"No, but-"

"I know that's not the point." Dean muttered. "I just don't see how doing that would help me. If anything, it'd probably just remind me that she isn't here. Make me think about it more than I already do."

"I understand." I nodded, feeling his sadness. "I'm sorry if I'm being pushy, Dean. I just want to help as much as I can."

"I know, Cherry Pie." Dean smiled, going back to the stack of books he was looking through. I moved over to the window, noticing a large, dead plant sitting in a pot there.

"Hey, look at this." I muttered, poking one of the leaves. "It's dead."

"Maybe Matt didn't have a green thumb." Dean smirked, walking over to me.

"Hey, unholy ground was _your_ theory, right?" I asked, turning back to him.

"Yeah. But why would this place be unholy ground?"

"Who knows? Matt was seeing Angela. Maybe she was here?"

"She just died though, would her spirit be that strong?"

"I have no idea. All I know is, Angela is the only person that's died in this town within the past week. Look at her gave. All this, it has to be her." I said. A small smile spread across Dean's lips as he stared down at me. "What?"

"So, you believe me?"

"Yes."

"I'm not imagining things? You know there's something here."

"No, Dean. I believe you. There's something here." I sighed, rolling my eyes as gave him a tiny smile. "Come on, lets get out of here."

Dean nodded, shooting me a big, cocky grin before pulling me out of the apartment.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Dean and I made our way up the small hallway, moving towards the room we'd been staying in. I left the box of Angela's things in the Impala, because the thought of having them in the room with us made me uncomfortable. It just seemed wrong.

I went to unlock the door, hearing a girl's loud moan coming from inside the room. I quickly stepped back, sharing a wide-eyed look with Dean as he stared at the door with an open mouth.

"No way." Dean mumbled, grabbing the keys from me. "There's no way."

"Dean, maybe we shouldn't-" I started, but he didn't listen, throwing the door open.

I saw flashes of naked women making out on the TV before Sam quickly scrambled for the remote, turning it off. Dean and I paused there for a moment, both of us letting out a revealed breath before sharing an amused look with each other as Sam tried to act normal – like he wasn't just watching porn.

"Hey." Sam mumbled. Dean moved around me, taking slow steps into the room as he glanced between his brother and the TV. "What?"

"Awkward."

"Sam, you could've called and told us to leave you alone for a bit longer." I chuckled.

"How was I supposed to know where you were?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes.

"Thought you had a girl in here for a minute." Dean muttered, shaking his head with a grin. "Should've known better."

"Where in the hell were you guys?" Sam spat, trying to ignore his brother's jabs and change the subject.

"Working my imaginary case." Dean said.

"Yeah? And?"

"Well, you were right, we didn't find much." Dean shrugged, raising an eyebrow at Sam as he nodded sympathetically. "Except – Angela's boyfriend died last night. Slit his own throat. But, you know, that's normal. Uh, let's see, what else…oh, he was seeing Angela everywhere before he died. But you know, I'm sure that's just me _transferring_ _my own feelings_."

"Okay, I get it." Sam said. "I'm sorry, maybe there is something going on here."

" _Maybe_? Sam, I know how to do my job, despite what you might think."

"We should check out the guy's apartment."

"We just came from there." I said, sitting at the table. "All the plants in the house were dead."

"So, unholy ground?" Sam asked.

"Maybe. I'm still not getting that powerful angry spirit vibe from Angela." Dean said, pulling the small, pink diary from his back pocket. "I have been reading this, though."

"I thought I told you to stop reading that." I said.

"Yeah, well, it's the only thing we've got right now if we want to find out more about sweet, little Angela." Dean said, flipping through the pagers. "And after reading some of this...well, if you ask me, the girl's a little _too_ nice."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Keep digging, talk to more of her friends."

"You get any names?" Sam asked.

"Are you kidding me? I have her bestest friend in the whole wide world." Dean smiled, holding up the diary before cracking it open to read some more.

I swear, he was enjoying reading that just a little too much.

* * *

 **NEIL'S HOUSE – DAY**

"I didn't realize the college employed grief counselors." Neil – a small, timid looking guy – muttered, standing in front of us in the hallway leading from his front door to his living room.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, you talk, we listen." Dean said, a small smile on his face. "Or maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage, whatever jump-starts the healing."

"Well, I think I'm okay. Thanks."

"You heard what happened to Matt Harrison, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I did." Neil nodded, glancing down.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay. Grief can make people do crazy things sometimes."

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. I am. But if Matt killed himself it wasn't 'cause of grief."

"No?" Dean asked. "Then why?"

"It was guilt. Angie's death was Matt's fault and he knew it."

"How was Matt responsible?" Sam asked.

"Well, she really loved that guy. But the night of the accident she walked in on him with another girl. She was really torn up, that's why she crashed the car." Neil explained, a slight tinge of anger floating around his dark eyes. He closed them for a moment, shaking his head before looking up at us with a sigh. "Um, look...I gotta get ready for work, so thanks for the concern, but...seriously, I'll be okay."

I shared a suspicious look with the boys before turning back to Neil, nodding to him with a small smile. "Okay. Have a good day."

"You too." Neil nodded, leading us back back to his front door. As soon as we stepped out onto his front porch, he quickly closed the door.

"He wanted us out of there pretty quick, huh?" Sam asked as we started back down the sidewalk towards the car.

"Yeah." I agreed, glancing back at the house.

"Either way, that vengeful spirit theory's starting to make a little more sense." Dean said, glancing over to me. "I mean, hell hath no fury..."

"Well, if Angela got her revenge on Matt, do you think it's over?" I asked.

"Well, there's one way to be sure."

"How?"

"Burn the bones." Dean said simply, moving to get in the car. I quickly stopped him as Sam stared over at his brother with a blank expression.

"Are you high or something?" I asked, holding onto his arm.

Dean stared down at my hand for a moment before looking back into my eyes, his eyebrows raised. "...what?"

" _Burn the bones_?" I repeated.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, looking between Sam and I.

"Angela died last week!" Sam exclaimed.

"So?"

" _So_ , there aren't gonna be any _bones_." I said. "There's gonna be a decaying body in that coffin, Dean."

"Since when are you afraid to get dirty?" Dean asked, a smirk on his lips as he winked at me, breaking out of my grasp to slide into the car.

"No, Dean." I muttered, Sam and I quickly following him into the car as he started it. "This a whole new low, okay? We can't do this."

"What else are we supposed to do?"

"Anything else." I mumbled as Dean started the car, pulling it out into the street.

It was obvious my pouting wasn't getting anywhere. Dean wasn't about to stop and try to think of something different we could do – something that wouldn't involve digging up a rotting corpse.

All I know is, we're not doing this.

* * *

 **GRAVEYARD – NIGHT**

"I can't believe we're doing this." I muttered, holding the flashlight for Sam and Dean as they dug the through the dirt above Angela's coffin.

"You think I like doing this?" Dean huffed, glancing up at me as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his sleeve.

"In a weird way, yeah."

"Shut up." Dean mumbled, going back to digging until he hit something solid with his shovel, leaning down to clear the dirt off. "Well, look at that."

"Great." I nodded, the three of us just staring, waiting for the other to make a move.

Dean lightly punched Sam's shoulder, nodding to the coffin. "Ladies first."

Sam rolled his eyes, letting out an annoyed huff as he braced himself over the coffin, pulling off the lid. The three of us trying to prepare ourselves for what we were about to see, but I know neither one of us thought of this as an option.

I slowly looked over at the boys, finding them staring down into the coffin with a similar expression to mine. Shock. The coffin was empty.

"They buried the body four days ago." Dean said.

"I don't get it." I murmured, gently jumping into the grave with them. I inspected the coffin a little closer, seeing a few faint symbols carved into the inside. "Look. What is that?"

"I'm not sure." Sam mumbled, shaking his head.

"I've seen these kind of symbols before." Dean said, staring down at them.

After I got Dean a pen and some paper, he copies the symbols onto it and was suddenly rushing to get out of here, trying to hide the layer of anger beneath the surface. Though I could tell something was wrong with him, something about this upset him and made his whole mood shift.

I just couldn't seem to figure out what it was.

* * *

 **DR. MASON'S OFFICE – DAY**

Dean pounded hard on the door, annoyance and irritation flowing off him in waves. I watched him closely, seeing how agitated he was getting as the seconds passes.

"Dean, relax." I murmured, trying to calm him down.

Dr. Mason opened the door, looking a little surprised to see us. "You're Angie's friends, right?"

Sam nodded, his voice calm. "Dr. Mason..."

"We need to talk." Dean snapped, practically pushing his way into the room.

"Well, then, come in." Dr. Mason muttered, stepping aside for us.

"Thank you." I nodded, staying closely to Dean as he stomped around the office.

"What can I do for you?" Dr. Mason asked, the sadness still in his eyes as he looked between the three of us.

"You teach Ancient Greek. Tell me what are these?" Dean asked, holding out a piece of paper that he'd copies the symbols onto.

"I don't understand." Dr. Mason said, shaking his head. "I thought this had something to do with Angela."

"It does. Please, just humor me."

"They're part of an ancient Greek divination ritual."

"Used for necromancy, right?" Dean asked, his edge getting sharper and sharper.

"That's right."

"See, before we came over here we stopped by the library and did a little homework ourselves. Apparently they used rituals like this one for communicating with the dead. Even bringing corpses back to life. Full-on zombie action."

"Yes. I mean, according to the legends." Dr. Mason said, his face a mixture of sadness and curiosity. "Now, what's all this about?"

"I think you know." Dean snapped.

"Dean." Sam muttered, shaking his head.

"Look, I get it, okay? There are people that I would give anything to see again." Dean said, ignoring his brother. "But what gives you the right?"

"Dean, stop it." I said,

"What are you talking about?" Dr. Mason asked, clearly confused.

"What's dead should stay dead!" Dean exclaimed. I was about to say something when what he said registered and I stopped, staring up at him with confusion.

"What?!"

"Stop it!" Sam called, trying to stop his brother.

"What you brought back isn't even your daughter anymore." Dean said. "These things are vicious, they're violent, they're so nasty they rot the ground around them. I mean, come on, haven't you seen Pet Cemetery?"

"You're insane." Dr. Mason muttered, shaking his head.

"Where is she?" Dean asked, taking a step towards Dr. Mason.

"Get out of my house." Dr. Mason uttered, pulling his phone out to quickly dial a number.

"I know you're hiding her somewhere." Dean said, harshly knocking the phone out of Dr. Mason's hands, an angry look on his face. I exchanged a surprised look with Sam as Dean stalked forward. "Where is she?!"

"Dean, stop!" I exclaimed, roughly pushing him away from Dr. Mason. Sam stepped over to us as I moved to stand in front of Dean, looking up into his eyes while he stared over at Dr. Mason angrily. "Stop it."

"She has to be-"

"Dean! Enough!" I yelled, something on the windowsill catching my eye as I grabbed Dean's chin, forcing him to look down at me before directing him to the line of healthy plants by window. "Look."

Dean slowly looked away from the plants, glancing down to the ground as Sam turned back towards Dr. Mason.

"I'm sorry, we- we're leaving." Sam muttered.

"I'm calling the police." Dr. Mason said, picking up his phone again.

Dean swallowed hard, moving away from me to storm towards the door, whipping it open, slamming it shut behind him.

"We won't bother you again. I'm sorry." I apologized again, feeling truly bad for what just happened. Dr. Mason just stared at me, calling the cops as Sam and I rushed out to find Dean before he got too far away from us.

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked as we made our way out of the building, trying to catch up to Dean.

"I have no idea, Sam. I don't know if I've ever seen him _that_ angry before." I muttered, trying to calm the erratic breathing that started inside me the moment we left that office.

* * *

 **SIDEWALK – NIGHT**

Outside in the cool night air, I finally felt as though I could breath right again, but the panic from what I'd witnessed before still sat heavily in my chest. A few feet away from us, I spotted Dean stalking down the sidewalk. It wasn't hard for me to see that he was still furious just from the steps he was taking.

"Okay, Sam, we should just take this in stride, you know?" I asked, looking up at him as we following behind Dean. "Stay calm an-"

"What the hell is the matter with you, Dean?" Sam barked, moving faster to catch up to his brother.

I froze in place for a moment, watching after him with wide eyes as he completely ignored me. I took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly as I jogged a bit to catch up with them.

"Back off." Dean spat, barely even looking back at Sam.

"That man is innocent!" Sam exclaimed. "He didn't deserve that!"

"Okay, so she's not here. Maybe he's keeping her somewhere else."

"Stop it! That's enough, okay? Enough!"

"Sam, I know what I'm doing." Dean argued.

"No, you don't. At all." Sam said, standing in front of Dean to stop him from walking. "Dean, I don't scare easy, but man, you're scaring the crap out of me."

"Don't be over-dramatic, Sam." Dean mumbled, rolling his eyes as he stopped to look back at me. "I'm not scaring _you_ , am I?"

"Well..." I paused, trying to think of a way to explain how I was feeling. The way he was acting did scare me, but only for the fact that I was worried about him losing his mind. "I'm not scared _of_ you."

Dean let out a low huff, shaking his head as he continued down the sidewalk. Sam glanced back at me, moving a little faster to catch up with Dean again.

"You're lucky this turned out to be a real case. Because if it wasn't, you would have just found something else to kill."

"Wha-"

"You're on edge, you're erratic – except for when you're hunting, because then you're downright scary. You're tailspinning, man. And you refuse to talk about it and you won't let either of us help you." Sam said, gesturing to me.

Dean stared across the street, glancing between Sam and I for a moment. "I can take care of myself, thanks."

"No, you can't. And you know what? You're the only one who thinks you should have to. You don't have to handle this on your own, Dean. No one can."

"Sam, if you bring up Dad's death one more time I swear-"

"Stop. Please, Dean, it's killing you. Please. I've lost Jessica-" Sam pleaded, a sad look in his eyes. "-we've already lost Dad. We've lost Mom. And now we're going to lose you, too?"

"We better get out of here before the cops come." Dean mumbled, looking towards the ground as Sam frowned at him. Dean let out a sigh, kicking the ground a few times before looking up. "I hear you. Okay? Yeah, I'm being an ass. And I'm sorry. But right now we've got a fucking zombie running around, and we need to figure out how to kill it."

A small smile spread across Sam's lips as he shook his head. "Our lives are weird, man."

"You're telling me?" Dean said, glancing back at me as Sam made his way to the Impala. "Coming?"

"Of course." I nodded, walking up to his side, a small smile on my face.

* * *

 **MOTEL ROOM – NIGHT**

I sat at the small table by the window, looking through some things on the laptop in front of me as Sam looked over John's journal on one of the beds, the both of us trying to ignore Dean's pacing as we read.

"We can't just waste it with a head shot?" Dean asked.

"Dude, you've been watching way too many Romero flicks." Sam commented, shaking his head.

"You're telling me there's no lore on how to smoke them?" Dean asked, sitting heavily in the chair next to me.

"No, there's just too much. I mean, there's a hundred different legends on the walking dead, but they all have different methods for killing them." I told him.

"Some say setting them on fire. One was, uh, feed their hearts to wild dogs. That's my personal favorite." Sam muttered, a small smile on his face. "I mean, who knows what's real and what's myth?"

"Is there anything they all have in common?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"Nope. But a few said silver might work."

"Silver's a start."

"I guess." I shrugged. "How are we gonna find Angela?"

"We've got to figure out the person who brought her back."

"Any ideas?" Sam asked.

"I think if it's not her dad, it might be that guy Neil." Dean said, moving across the room to grab the little pink diary.

"He was acting a little strange." I agreed.

"But what would make you think he did it?" Sam asked.

"Well, you've got your journal, I've got mine." Dean smirked, opening the diary to read from one of the pages in a soft, feminine voice. " _Neil's a real shoulder to cry on, he so understands what I'm going through with Matt_." I raised an eyebrow at him, smiling as he shut the book. "There's more in here where that came from. It's got unrequited ducky love written all over it."

"It makes sense if you think of it that way." I nodded.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he brought her back from the dead." Sam pointed out. "He wouldn't even know how."

"Did I mention he's Professor Mason's TA? Has access to all the same books." Dean said, grabbing his jacket, moving towards the door before Sam or I could respond.

"You think we should go along with this?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I know Dean has been going through a lot. But he _does_ know what he's doing with this stuff." I shrugged, standing up. "And hey, it's our only lead."

* * *

 **NEIL'S HOUSE – NIGHT**

I glancing over my shoulder, watching behind us as Sam picked the lock on the door, opening it slowly to reveal a dark house. I turned on my flashlight as the three of us crept inside through the darkness, trying not to knock anything over in the process.

"Hello? Neil?" Dean called as he pulled his gun out. "It's your grief counselors, we've come to hug."

"Silver bullets?" Sam asked, looking down at the gun.

"Yeah, enough to make her rattle like a change purse."

Dean took the lead, slowly making his way through the house with Sam and I behind. I glanced around, seeing the dead plants on the windowsill illuminated by the moonlight shining in.

Dean stopped at a door, nodding over to it. "Unless it's where he keeps his porn..."

I stood a cautious step forward, opening the door slowly. Deans started down the stairs, moving down into the empty basement.

"Sure looks like a zombie pen to me." Dean muttered.

"Yeah. An empty one. You think Angela's going after somebody?" Sam asked.

"Nah, I think she went out to rent Beaches."

"Look, smartass, she might kill someone." Sam said. "We gotta find her, Dean."

Dean nodded, looking around as I spotted a loose grate across the room, moving over to pull it aside. I crouched down, looking into the empty space that seemed to lead nowhere.

"I think I found her doggy door." I mumbled, looking back at the boys as I stood. "So, I was thinking...she killed Matt because he was cheating, right?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Well, someone else would be involved there."

"Good point." Dean said with a shrug. "Takes two to have hardcore sex."

"Uh, yeah...right." I said, looking over at him with a nod as Sam shook his head.

"You know, now that you say that...didn't it seem like Angela's roommate was really broken up over Matt's death? I mean, like, _really_ broken up."

"Come on, we gotta try and beat Angela there." I said, moving back up the stairs with Sam and Dean behind me.

* * *

 **LINDSEY'S HOUSE – NIGHT**

Just as we entered the house, Angela was already attacking Lindsey, grabbing her by the hair, pulling her head to the side as she went to stab a pair of scissors into her neck. Dean quickly shot a few rounds into Angela, causing her to stumbled back, her body starting to convulse. Dean shot again, the bullet landing right in her chest. Angela let out a loud scream, jumping though the large window in the living room.

Dean and I took off after Angela as Sam went over to Lindsey, trying to comfort her. We ran outside through the broken window, moving a good distance away from the house when we realized we'd lost her.

"Dammit!" Dean exclaimed, his breathing heavy as we stopped running, glancing around. "That dead chick can run."

"What now?" I asked, looking back at him.

"I say we go have a little chat with Neil."

* * *

 **HIGHWAY – NIGHT**

Dean sat in the driver seat, as always, driving the Impala down the dark road as we made our way to Neil's house. Sam leafed through John's journal in the passenger seat, reading up on a few more things.

"So the silver bullets, they did something, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, something – but not enough." Dean said. "What else you got?"

"Um, okay. Besides silver, we have...nailing the undead back into their gravebeds. It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire staking lore came from." Sam said, looking up at his brother.

"Their gravebeds? You serious?"

"Yeah."

"How the hell are we gonna get Angela back to the cemetery?" I asked, looking between the boys.

"We'll figure something out." Dean said, a determined look in his eyes. "We have to."

I couldn't help but notice the slight undertone of anger he had in him now. It hadn't faded since we'd left Dr. Mason's office and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, I could still tell.

* * *

 **NEIL'S OFFICE – NIGHT**

Neil sat in the dark office, his back facing the door as he stared out the window. The three of us entered, watching him for a moment before he heard us, whipping his chair around quickly, his eyes going wide.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We're just here to talk, Neil. You know, _counsel_ you." I said, staring down at him. "Because, god knows you need it. You need some kind of help."

"What?" Neil asked, furrowing his brow.

"You know, I've heard of people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you – you take the cake." Dean said, chuckling lightly.

"Okay. Who are you guys?"

"You might want to ask Angela that question."

"What?"

"We know what you did." Sam said. "The ritual? Everything."

"You're crazy." Neil scoffed.

"Your girlfriend's past her expiration date and we're crazy? When someone's gone, they should stay gone." Dean said. Again, that caught my attention. The way he said it, it just bothered me. "You don't mess with that kind of stuff."

"Angela killed Matt. She tried to kill Lindsey." Sam told him.

I don't know what you're talking about." Neil muttered. Dean quickly stomped over to the deck, hauling Neil up by the collar of his shirt.

"No more crap, Neil. His blood is on your hands. Now, the three of us, we can make this right. But you've gotta tell us where she is." Dean said, staring intently at Neil, who swallowed nervously. "Tell us!"

"My house." Neil said nervously. "She's at my house."

Dean let him go, pushing him back slightly as he did so. I saw Dean's eyes drift around the room for a moment before returning to Neil's. "You sure about that?"

Neil nodded quickly, his eyes darting over to Sam and I for a moment before returning to Dean. I followed Dean's eyesight to a closed closet door on the wall behind Neil.

"Listen. It doesn't really matter where she is. There's only one way to stop her. We've got to perform another ritual over her grave, to reverse the one that you did. We're going to need some black root, some- some scar weed, some candles." Dean spouted off, shaking his head when Neil looked at him with confused eyes. "It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple hours. I think you should come with us."

Neil started to shake his head, but stopped as Dean took a step towards him again, leaning down slightly. "I'm serious, Neil. Leave with us. Right now."

"No. No."

"Listen to me. Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. Don't make her mad." Dean said quietly, standing back upright as he turned to us. "Let's go."

I glanced back at Neil, seeing stare over at the door Dean was eying before as Sam and I followed him out, back down to the Impala so we could head over to the graveyard.

* * *

 **GRAVEYARD – NIGHT**

We'd only been here for a little bit, but Sam and Dean already got the coffin out while I placed another candle on the ground in the circle I'd made with them before digging around the bag for the lighter.

"You really think this is going to work?" I asked, looking up at Dean.

"No, not really." Dean shrugged as Sam scowled. "But it was the only thing I could come up with."

Just then, there was the sound of a branch breaking in the distance. Sam took a deep breath, pulling his gun out as he walked in the direction the sound came from. I watched until he was out of sight before heading a few feet away from Angela's grave.

I could only hope this'll work.

"Wait! It's not what you think." Angela muttered, her voice echoing through the graveyard. "I didn't ask to be brought back. But it's still me. I'm still a person. Please."

I heard the sound of a gunshot a few seconds after she finished talking, followed by a loud scream. In the distance, I saw Sam running towards us, booking it as Angela chased him. She suddenly tackled him, pulling his head back. I quickly fired at her, calling her attention over to me. She stood up quickly, staring over at me with furious eyes.

I shot her a few more times, each bullet causing her to stumble backwards until she hit the edge of her grave, falling back into the coffin. Dean quickly jumped into the grave, burying the stake into her chest. I made my way over to Sam, helping him to his feet as Angela screamed.

"Wait, don't!"

Dean pushed the steak further into her without another word, and Angela let out a loud gasp as silence fell over us. Dean stood upright, staring down at the coffin.

"What's dead should stay dead."

* * *

Sam and Dean were just about finished packing the dirt back into the grave, smoothing the surface as I got our things back into the few bags we brought over here with us. Once they were done, I threw the bags over my shoulder, moving over to their sides as they carried their shovels.

"Rest in peace." Sam murmured.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "For good this time, okay?"

The three of us turned away from the patch of dirt, making our way back to the Impala.

"You know, that whole fake ritual thing, luring Angela into the cemetery? Pretty sharp." Sam said.

"Thanks." Dean muttered.

"But did we have to use me as bait?"

"I figured you were more her type. You know, she had pretty crappy taste in guys." Dean commented, a grin on his face.

"I think she broke my hand." Sam mumbled, holding out his hand for me to look at. It was a little bruised, but nothing too bad.

"We'll get it checked out." I said, bumping my shoulder into his arm.

After walking a bit more, Dean paused, looking back at his mother's grave, staring over at it for a moment.

I walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm. "Wanna stay for a little bit?"

Dean swallowed hard, shaking his head. "No."

"Okay." I nodded, wrapping my arm around his as we started walking again.

Once at the Impala, we dropped the things in the trunk. Dean immediately slid into the driver seat, staring the car before Sam or I even got close to getting inside.

This whole job just felt wrong from the beginning and something was bothering Dean a lot more than before. But he wasn't gonna talk, and I didn't have the right to try and make him.

* * *

 **HIGHWAY – DAY**

We'd been driving for about an hour now, the whole time spent in silence. Dean never put a tape in, or even turned on the radio. Neither one of us spoke, something in the air telling us not to. Sam kept glancing nervously at Dean. Every so often, I'd catch Dean's eyes in the rear-view mirror, seeing the torn look in his eyes.

Suddenly, Dean pulled the Impala over to the side of the road, throwing it in park as he got out. I shared a stunned look with Sam before the two of us jumped out after him.

"Dean, what's wrong?" I asked, watching as he sat on the truck, his back facing us.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

A long paused fell over us before Dean took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"You- for what?" Sam asked.

"The way I've been acting." Dean muttered. I made my way over to him, sitting down next to him on the trunk as Sam stood to his other side. Dean glanced up at him, looking back down. "And for Dad. I mean, he was your dad too. And it's my fault that he's gone."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you've been thinking it. So have I. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Back at the hospital, I made a full recovery." Dean said, looking between Sam and I. "It was a miracle. And five minutes later Dad's dead and the Colt's gone."

I felt my heart drop as I realized something. How much of a part I played in all of this.

Dean looked back to the ground, and thankfully not into my eyes. He'd know right away that something was wrong with me. I had no idea Dean felt the way he did, but I shouldn't have been so stupid to think he would never figure out why he was miraculously healed of all his severe, life-threatening injuries. I don't know what I thought was going to happen.

"Dean-"

"You can't tell me there's not a connection there." Dean said, stopping Sam. "I don't know how the demon was involved. I don't know how the whole thing went down exactly. But Dad's dead because of me. And that much I do know."

"We don't know that. Not for sure."

"Listen. Tori, you and Dad...you're the most important people in my life. And now..." Dean paused, tears flowing down his cheeks. I felt my heart break as Dean's voice cracked with emotion. "I never should've come back. It wasn't natural. And now look what's come of it. I was dead. And I should have stayed dead."

A beat of silence passed as Dean took a deep breath, glancing up to me. I quickly diverted my eyes, not looking at him as he continued. "You two wanted to know how I was feeling...well, that's it. So, tell me, what could you possibly say to make that alright?"

I let out a sigh, staring off across the highway as a million thoughts swirled through my mind.

How did I not fully realize this before? How could I have been so blind? How could I not have seen how much of a hypocrite I was being? Trying to get Dean to talk about how he was feeling when I was keeping a huge secret from the both of them.

I knew deep down what was about to happen when John explained what he was going to do, something inside telling me it would end horribly. And while I didn't agree with his plan, while I thought it was crazy – I didn't really try everything I could to stop him, either. Instead, I sat back and did nothing while he went and made a deal with a demon.

In a million years, I never would've thought what happened would even be possible and it kills me, because I _never_ wanted John to get hurt. I loved him and I _never_ wanted anything bad to happen to him. And while the idea of that deal scared me, I was all too willing to let it happen, to risk the fears I had coming true – stomping down the unsettled, nervous feelings inside - telling myself over and over again that the demon would only want the Colt and nothing else.

That it would be that simple.

Because I was selfish and I couldn't imagine a life without Dean. I couldn't fathom him not being here anymore. I loved him too much, he was everything to me. And now, the person I loved more than anything was suffering more than I'd ever seen. Now he carried all this guilt, and I couldn't help but feel like it was partly my fault.

As small as some may think it is, I _did_ have a part in John's death.

And in the end of it all, there was no getting around the fact that I was just a coward. Too scared to tell them the truth now that I realize it. Afraid they'd hate me for it, afraid they'd never trust me again. Though, I wouldn't blame them. How could I?

I was never nervous about talking to Dean, not ever. He was always the person I felt that I could speak to about anything, no matter what it was. And I wanted desperately to tell him about this. To pour my heart out, to try and get him to see the way I was thinking in those moments – hoping he'd understand.

But now- now that I really know how he feels about what happened back in that hospital...I just didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to say it. I didn't know how to sit the both of them down and tell them I let their father go make a deal with a demon.

At the same time, I knew I couldn't go much longer lying to them either. It would eat away at me.

But it wouldn't be so bad if I just took some time to be there for Dean after this, right? Some time to think everything though and decide how I was going to tell them and ruin their trust in me. All I needed was a few days...

That wouldn't be so bad, right?

* * *

 **Poor things :(**

 **Another chapter down! Do you think Tori is being too hard on herself? Also, what's your favorite episode of season two? I've always really loved _Tall Tales_ , but _What Is and What Should Never Be_ is also a really good one, and I'm excited to write it. I always have a hard time picking favorites, though. They're all good lol**

 **Anyway, I'd like to know what your favorite is, if you have one! :D  
**

 **I might go back and change the song at the beginning of this chapter and switch some things around, but we'll see how it goes.**

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	5. Simon Said

_Skin soft as leather  
I'm the weatherman  
No one else more dedicated  
I'm the weatherman  
Hey kid  
You got the right, but the choice to kill  
No Son of Sam will let you in  
To turn against  
…_

 _Skin soft as leather  
I'm the weatherman  
There's no one else with the dedication  
I'm the weatherman  
'Cause hey kid  
You got the heart without the ache  
Pretentious thieves have you believe  
It's theirs to take  
Addicted to the love of ourselves_  
 _I'm the weatherman_  
 _Tell no one else_  
 _I'm the weatherman_

 _So go for the kill_  
 _'Cause no one else cares_  
 _Go for the kill, go for the kill_  
 _Go for the kill, go for the kill_  
 _Go for the kill, go for the kill_  
 _Go for the kill, go for the kill_

 **Dead Sara – Weatherman**

* * *

It's been a few days since Illinois, and Dean's words were still circling around my mind. The guilt I felt was overwhelming and it was harder and harder to not say anything. To pretend like everything was normal. I wanted to tell them what had really happened back in that hospital, but I couldn't seem to make myself. Which made me feel even more horrible.

It was a vicious cycle that didn't seem to have an end all because I was too much of a coward to say anything.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, looking over at me with concern.

I blinked a few times, my eyes focusing on the small mirror hanging on the wall across from where I sat at the table. I saw the worried look on my face, all the pain there – and quickly wiped it away, running a hand through my hair as I darted my eyes over to Dean.

"Nothing." I shrugged as he threw a shirt into the bag on the bed in front of him, making his way over to me.

Dean ran a hand through my long hair, pushing some of it over my shoulder. "You know I know you're lying, right?"

"I'm not lying." I lied. "I'm fine, really."

"You sure?"

"Yes." I nodded, shooting him a small smile. Yet another wave of guilt spread through me then. I could tell most of him believed me, while some other part still knew I wasn't telling the truth.

And it killed me to lie to him, it really did. But selfishly, I had to keep doing it – even if it destroyed me – because I truly didn't know what telling him would mean for us. But I knew it wouldn't be good.

Dean nodded, bending down to place a kiss on my forehead before walking over to the bathroom door. He didn't even knock, just swinging the door open on Sam.

"Sam, come on, zip it up. Let's hit the...road." Dean mumbled. At the hesitation in his voice, I leaned to the side, peaking into the bathroom to see Sam leaning down on the sink, breathing heavily.

* * *

 **HIGHWAY – NIGHT**

Sam had another vision. This time about a murder-suicide, telling me in a little too much detail about what he'd seen. I didn't stop him though, I just let him talk because I knew he needed to get it out.

Now we were in the Impala, on our way to the roadhouse to pay Ash a visit and see if he could help us figure out where this vision Sam had takes place.

" _Rockin' Nebraska. Your source for the classics, all night long._ "

The announcer said fast, his voice sounding through the speakers as Dean drove down the long, dark road in front of us.

"I don't know, man, why don't we just chill out and think about this." Dean said, glancing over at his brother.

"What's there to think about?" Sam asked, moving to shut the radio off.

"I just don't know if going to the Roadhouse is the smartest idea."

"Dean, it's another premonition. I know it. This is gonna happen, and Ash can tell us where."

"Yeah, man...but-"

"Plus it could have some connection with the demon. My visions always do." Sam muttered, glancing back at me.

"That's my point. There's gonna be hunters there. I don't know if, if, if going in and announcing that you're some supernatural freak with a demonic connection is the best thing, okay?"

I raised an eyebrow at Dean as Sam scoffed, shaking his head. "So I'm a freak now?"

"You've always been a freak." Dean smiled weakly at his brother, glancing back at me. Once he saw the slightly disapproving look on my face, he slowly turned back to the road, putting all his focus into driving as we fell into silence.

* * *

 **ROADHOUSE – NIGHT**

Needless to say, I wasn't completely thrilled to be back at this place. Only it was worse now, because roadhouse was much more packed than last time. There were more hunters mulling around here than I'd ever seen all in one place, and I couldn't help but share a small part of Dean's fear.

They probably wouldn't simply brush off Sam's abilities and be okay with it. And the more I thought about what they'd want to do with him if they found out, the more nervous I became.

As we entered the roadhouse, I spotted Jo at the shooter-style arcade game they had here, holding the plastic rifle up towards the screen. An older man stood behind her, off to the side, watching as she hit every target.

"Damn, little lady. That was my room money." The man muttered, handing a wad of cash over to Jo.

"Well, I guess you're taking a truck nap tonight." Jo smiled, walking away.

"Oughta check the high scores before you put your money down." Ellen muttered, walking over to the game to press one of the buttons, pulling up the high score list, every one titled with Jo's name. "You went and got yourself hustled, Ed."

Jo walked over to us with a smirk, bumping into Dean as he anxiously scanned the room. "Just can't stay away, huh?"

"Yeah, looks like." Dean nodded, glancing down to the blonde. "How you doing, Jo?"

"Fine." Jo said, looking over at me as she nodded back to the arcade game. "Saw you eying the game. Wanna play?"

"Oh, no." I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head. "No thanks."

"I'll go easy on you, I promise." Jo murmured curtly, her smirk still in place.

" _You'll_ go easy on _me_?"

"Yeah." She said, folding her arms. I was just about ready to run over there and show her there was certainly no need for that, when I stopped myself, thinking about why we were here in the first place.

"You know what, it's still no. I'm not twelve." I quipped, gaining a scowl from her.

"Where's Ash?" Sam asked quickly, interrupting us before this carried on.

"In his back room." Jo muttered simply, nodding behind her.

"Great." Sam nodded, brushing past her on his way to the back of the roadhouse.

Dean watched his brother go for a moment before shaking his head, looking down to Jo. "Sorry, he's-"

"We have to go." I said quickly, taking Dean's arm, dragging him with me to follow after Sam.

* * *

 **BACK ROOM – NIGHT**

We caught up to Sam as he stepped in front of a rough, splintered wooden door with a makeshift sign, hanging over it that read:

 _Dr. Badass is: In_

"Ash?" Sam called, knocking on the door. "Hey, Ash?"

"Hey, Dr. Badass?" Dean yelled out, also knocking on the door.

I heard the locks being unlatched from the other side before Ash cracked the door open, peaking out. When he saw that it was us, he opened it all the way. Though I really wish he didn't, because he was completely naked.

My eyes went wide and I blinked a few times as Ash smiled up at us. Dean quickly covered my eyes with his hand, but I batted it away, throwing him an amused look as he shrugged.

"Sam? Dean? Tori?" Ash asked, looking between the three of us with absolutely no shame. "Sam, Dean and Tori."

"Hey Ash. We, uh, need your help." Sam mumbled, looking past Ash's head into the room behind him.

"Well, hell then. Guess I need my pants." Ash muttered.

"That would probably be a good idea." I nodded, throwing him a small smile, keeping my eyes from drifting.

Ash nodded fast, quickly shutting the door. We stood there for a moment before slowly moving back to the main room of the roadhouse, which seemed to have even more people in it than before.

I followed Sam and Dean over to one of the smaller tables towards the corner of the room, taking a seat.

"Didn't think that was something I'd ever see." I mumbled, shaking my head as Sam sat next to me.

"Did Ash answer his door naked again?" Ellen asked, placing a beer down in front of me.

" _Again_?" I repeated, the horror clear in my voice.

"Guess it's time to have another talk with him." Ellen muttered, more to herself than anything as she handed Sam a beer, turning to Dean to silently ask him if he wanted anything.

Dean quickly shook his head, nervously glancing over his shoulders at a couple other men sitting by one of the windows. They seemed to be keeping to themselves, but I knew he was just getting paranoid everything at this point.

Some time passed, several hunters leaving and a few more entering, taking their place. I wondered just how long it could take someone to find and put on a pair of pants, when Ash finally came walking out, his makeshift laptop in his arms. Sam gave him the sketch he made of the bus logo from the vision he'd had and Ash got to work, trying to find out where it came from.

"Well, I got a match." Ash announced. "It's the logo from the Blue Ridge bus lines in Guthrie, Oklahoma."

"Okay. Do me a favor – check Guthrie for any demonic signs, or omens, or anything like that." Sam told him.

"You think the demon's there?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"Why would you think that?"

"Just check it, alright?" Dean ordered, his voice impatient.

Ash shot him a weird look before checking it out, which took him a good three seconds. "No sir, nothing. No demon."

"Alright, try something else for me. Search Guthrie for a house fire. It would be nineteen-eighty-three, fire's origin would be a baby's nursery, night of the kid's six month birthday." Sam said.

Ash stared over at Sam for a moment, a little taken aback from all the information he'd just spouted out. Dean glanced around nervously for eavesdroppers when I spotted Jo cleaning a nearby table, staring at us. She quickly looked away when I caught her eye, pretending like she wasn't listening.

"Okay, now that is just weird, man. Why the hell would I be looking for that?" Ash asked, leaning back in his seat slightly.

"'Cause there's a _PBR_ in it for you." Sam said, placing a bottle of beer in front of him.

Ash stared down at it for a moment, letting out a long sigh – clearing giving in as he cracked his knuckles, going back to the laptop. "Give me fifteen minutes."

Sam nodded, going through some things in the small computer bag he brought as Ash got started. Dean let out a frustrated breath, getting up to go sit at the bar. I rested my head in my hand, just people watching. It was amazing how drunk hunters actually got. I wasn't sure I knew how the functioned with that much alcohol in their systems.

A little bit later, I noticed Jo at the jukebox, the first few bars of a familiar song playing through the speakers as she walked away from it, a small grin on her face. My mouth dropped open when she winked at Dean just as I realized what the song was.

 _I can't fight this feeling any longer. And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow. What started out as friendship, has grown stronger. I only wish I had the strength to let it show._

I narrowed my eyes at her as she smirked back at me, carrying an empty tray over behind the bar. Dean glanced back at me, his eyes wide, shaking his head quickly as if to tell me he had nothing to do with this. I turned back to the table with a sigh as Sam stared over at Jo, his mouth hanging open slightly.

I felt that all too familiar pang of jealousy run through me and I wanted nothing more than to run over there, but I held myself back. Because, even I could admit that when I got jealous, things had a tendency to get ugly. I wanted to be the bigger person here, and in the end she was just some girl anyway. She wasn't any different from all the others that did this stuff...so why was it bugging me so much?

"I'll tell you one thing." I mumbled. "She has balls."

"Yeah. What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing." I shrugged, taking a sip of my beer.

"Seriously?" Sam asked, looking surprised.

"What am I supposed to do? So, she played a stupid song. No big deal." I said, glancing behind me to see Jo leaning down on the bar beside Dean.

That small gesture bothered me more than I'd like to admit.

"Yeah." Sam laughed lightly at the annoyed look on my face. " _No big deal._ "

"I'm gonna...go get another beer." I announced, standing up.

"Sure." Sam nodded, a small grin on his face as he went back to the papers on the table. I ignored his amused expression, making my way over to the bar to step in between Jo and Dean.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" I asked, glancing between the two.

"No." Dean said quickly, looking up at me with small smile as he shook his head. Jo grimaced, backing away slightly.

"Great." I said, looking over at Jo with a smile as I held out my empty bottle. "Another one, please?"

"Of course." Jo sarcastically smiled back, taking the bottle from me as she moved around the other side of the bar.

"So, _REO Speedwagon_?" Dean asked.

"Damn right _REO_. Kevin Cronin sings it from the heart."

"Oh, please. He sings it from the hair. There's a difference." I muttered, shooting her a sarcastic smile of my own.

Dean glanced between Jo and I, taking a sip of his beer, pretending like he wasn't here right now. I could tell he was torn, not sure whether to split this up, or keep quiet. Jo stared over at me for a moment, cleaning the glass in her hand.

"So, that profile you've got Ash looking for?" Jo asked, looking over to Dean. "Your mom died the same way, didn't she? A fire in Sam's nursery?"

"Look, Jo, it's kind of a family thing." Dean answered.

"And it's really none of your business." I added honestly.

This was no longer me being a stupidly jealous girlfriend, this was me protecting my family. A perfect stranger didn't need to know our life story.

"Maybe I could help." Jo argued, looking a little upset.

"We've got this covered." I said, glancing back to Sam as he started getting up, gathering papers together. "Stay out of it."

Jo sneered at me as Sam came rushing over to us. "We have a match. We've gotta go."

"Great." I nodded, moving towards the door with him.

"See you later, Jo." Dean muttered, following Sam and I out to the Impala. Before I could get in the passenger side, Dean caught up with me, pulling me to him with a smirk. "Yeah, you _never_ get jealous."

"Dean, we don't have time for this." I said, rolling my eyes as I tried to free myself from his grasp. "We have to go, and I am _not_ a jealous person."

"But you got jealous." Dean smiled.

"Oh my god, Dean-"

"Just admit it."

"Yes! I got a little jealous, but she-" I stopped mid-sentence, raising an eyebrow at Dean's cocky smirk. "Wipe that stupid smile off your face and let me go."

"Okay, okay." Dean murmured, placing a kiss on my lips before pulling away from me.

"God." I huffed, getting into the car. I heard Dean chuckle as he made his way around to the driver seat, starting the car up before pulling back onto the road.

I hated feeling jealous because I knew I had nothing to worry about with Dean, and part of me felt ashamed for getting so snippy with Jo, but I just couldn't help myself sometimes. Especially not when she thought she could be so brazen.

* * *

We'd been driving for a little bit now, Sam had already passed out in the backseat, and even though I felt bad about leaving Dean alone to drive, I couldn't seem to fight my eyelids anymore as they drifted shut, the low rumble of the engine lulling me to sleep. Barely any time had passed when I heard Dean start humming next to me. I cracked an eye open as he stared out to the road, his hums turning into full-blown singing.

" _And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night. And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might-"_

"What in god's name are you doing?" I snapped, startling him as I looked up.

"Huh?"

"Are you serious right now?"

"I just- I can't get the song out of my head." Dean muttered, glancing over at me. "If it helps, it makes me think of you."

"Jesus, no." I scoffed, shaking my head when I realized the stupidity of it all. A small smile spread across my face as I glanced over at Dean, an amused look in my eyes. "That song is completely ruined for me now."

"Oh, yeah." Dean nodded, seemingly relived that I wasn't upset as he started to smile. "Definitely."

"Darn." I muttered, shaking my head. "It was my favorite, too."

"Best song ever made." Dean agreed sarcastically, looking over at me as I let out a snort.

"She tried to seduce you with _REO Speedwagon._ " I laughed lightly, nudging Dean's side with my finger, gaining a small chuckle from him.

"Well, I wouldn't say _seduce_."

"Oh, come on."

"You know, I distinctly remember you doing a little dance for me to uh, what was it? _Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now_?" Dean asked, raising a playful eyebrow as he glanced over at me.

"That was to make you laugh, not seduce you."

"Sure." Dean smirked.

"We weren't even together then." I argued, smiling over at him.

"And you still flirted with me."

"I did. You flirted with me too, you know."

"Well, I won't deny that." Dean smiled.

I smiled back, scooting a little closer to him in the seat. "But, you know I wouldn't need all of that anyway if I wanted to seduce you."

Dean eyes darted over to mine as I started playing with the hair at the back of his head, leaning down to place gentle kissed on jawline. I heard him let out a small breath and as I slid my other hand from his knee to his inner thigh, I felt the car quickly jerk underneath us, swerving into the opposite lane on the empty road. Dean breathed heavily as his reflexes made him whip the car back into the correct lane, causing Sam to jolt upright, his eyes wide.

"What the fuck happened!?" Sam exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"Nothing." Dean spat, shooting me a frustrated glare as he leaned towards me with a quiet voice. "We're finishing that later."

"Can't wait." I smirked, slowly moving back to the passenger side of the front seat.

"So, uh, what do you have again?" Dean asked, glancing back at Sam as he started between the two of us. "What?"

"I- you know, nothing. I don't wanna know." Sam mumbled, settling back in the seat before pulling a small pile of papers into his lap to go through them. "Andrew Gallagher. Born in eighty-three, like me. Lost his mother in a nursery fire exactly six months later, also like me."

"You think the demon killed his mom?" I asked, looking back at Sam.

"Sure looks like it."

"How did you even know to look for this guy?" Dean asked.

"Every premonition I've had, if they're not about the demon, they're about the other kids the demon visited." Sam explained. "Like Max Miller, remember him?"

"Yeah, but Max Miller was a pasty little psycho."

Sam rolled his eyes, continuing. "The point is he was killing people. And I was having the same type of visions about him. And now it could be happening all over again with this Gallagher guy."

"So, we have a name, but how do we find him?" I asked.

"Don't know." Sam shrugged. "No current address, no current employment. He still owes money on all his bills – phone, credit, utilities..."

"Collection agency flags?"

"None in the system."

"They just let him take a walk?" Dean asked.

"Seems like it. There's a work address from his last W-2, about a year ago. Let's start there."

* * *

 **COFFEE SHOP – DAY**

The small coffee shop was rather empty for this time of day, only a few people hanging around by the tables lining the large windows at the front. I crossed my legs underneath the table the three of us were currently sitting at, smiling up at Tracy, one of the waitresses here, as she placed cups in front of us, pouring coffee in them.

"You won't get anything out of Andy, guys. I'm sorry, but they never do." Tracy muttered.

" _They_?" I asked.

"You're debt collectors, right? Once in a while they come by. I don't know what Andy says to them, but they never come back."

"Actually we're- we're lawyers." Dean told her. "Representing his Great Aunt Leta. She passed, god rest her soul, and left Andy a sizable estate."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "So are you a friend of his?"

"I used to be, yeah. I don't see much of Andy anymore." She said sadly.

"Andy?" A guy called, coming out from the kitchen, a smile on his face. "Andy kicks ass, man."

"Is that right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Andy can get you into anything. He even got me backstage at Aerosmith once, it was beautiful, bro."

"Really? That's aw-" Dean stopped as I shot him a look, clearing his throat. " _Interesting_. That's interesting, how he does that."

I smiled over at Tracy as she looked down at Dean with a slightly raised eyebrow before turning to the guy with a grin. "How about bussing a table or two, Weber?"

"Yeah. You bet, boss." Webber smiled, going to grab a bin behind the counter.

"Look, if you want to find him, try Orchard Street." Tracy said, turning back to us. "Just look for a van with a barbarian queen painted on the side."

"A barbarian queen?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"She's riding a polar bear. It's kind of hard to miss." Tracy muttered.

"Holy crap, we gotta go find that thing." Dean said excitedly, jumping out of his chair. I smiled over at him, getting out of my own seat a little slower, following him outside with Sam behind us.

* * *

 **ORCHARD STREET – DAY**

We sat in the Impala, parked a street away from the van – which, like Tracy had said, was pretty easily identified as Andy's. I hope he didn't think he could go ever into hiding with that thing still hanging around. The giant portrait on the side was just a little eye-catching.

"I'm sorry, I'm starting to like this dude. That van is sweet." Dean said, smiling over at me. I stared up at him for a moment, an eyebrow raised as I glanced back to the van.

"Okay...it is pretty cool." I admitted, a small grin on my lips.

"Right?" Dean asked, looking back to Sam, who seemed troubled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Sam, you look like you're sucking on a lemon. What's going on?"

"This Andrew Gallagher, he's the second guy like this we've found." Sam muttered. "The demon came to them when they were kids, now they're killing people."

"We don't even know who Andrew Gallagher is. He could be innocent, Sam." I said, looking back at him.

"My visions haven't been wrong yet."

"What's your point?" Dean asked.

"My point is, I'm one of them." Sam said, a worried look covering his eyes.

"Oh, Sam, no." I murmured, reaching over the seat to place a hand on his arm.

"No, you're not." Dean said adamantly.

"The demon said he had plans for me, and children like me." Sam said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, maybe this is his plan. Maybe we're all a bunch of psychic freaks, maybe we're all supposed to be-"

"What, killers?" Dean asked, glancing over at me before looking back to his brother.

"Yeah."

I knew exactly what Dean was thinking about in this moment though, because the same thing was racing around in my mind. And the more Sam spoke, the more scared I got as I thought back to what John had said in the hospital. What we were supposed to do if things go too bad.

But I refused to believe that could ever happen. And I know Dean did, too.

"So the demon wants you out there killing with your minds, is that it? Come on, give me a break." Dean huffed, shaking his head. "You're not a murderer, Sam! You don't have it in your bones."

"No? Last I checked, I kill all kinds of things."

"Those things were asking for it. There's a difference." Dean said, looking back out the window as guy exited one of the buildings.

I followed his gaze to the scruffy looking man, wearing a long rode embroidered with dragons on the back. He made his way over to the van, so I could safely assume it was Andy.

A woman leaned out one of the windows on the second floor, waving down to him. Andy blew her a kiss, smiling at a man walking past. Suddenly, the man just gave him his cup of coffee, walking away with a smile on his face. Andy kept going, walking up to another man, who smiled at him, shaking his hand.

"That's him." Sam said urgently. "That older guy, that's him, that's the shooter."

"Alright, you keep on him. We'll stick with Andy." Dean said, gesturing for Sam to get out of the backseat. Sam nodded, quickly following after the older man on foot while Dean followed behind Andy's van as he got in and drove off.

We'd only been driving behind him for a few minutes when he turned down a thin, alley-like road free of any other cars or people.

"Where is he going?" I asked as Dean slowly pulled the Impala behind him.

Andy stopped the van, jumping out of it. As soon as he started walking over to us, Dean tucked a gun in his jacket, the two of us watching cautiously.

"Hey." Andy smiled, leaning down towards the open window slightly. Just as he did so, I felt a wave of nausea hit me like I hadn't felt in months. I wasn't too horrible, but I certainly wasn't expecting it to happen.

"Hey." Dean nodded while I smiled.

"This is a cherry ride." Andy said, gesturing to the Impala.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Man, the sixty-seven? Impala's best year, if you ask me. This is a serious classic."

"Yeah. You know, I just rebuilt her, too." Dean said, a proud tone in his voice.

Even if it was a murderer he was speaking to, he was still somehow excited to talk about his baby. I couldn't get upset about it, though. This car meant a lot to Dean and if he felt proud of himself for even a moment, I was glad.

"Yeah?" Andy asked, nodding appreciatively as he looked over the car.

"Yeah, can't let a car like this one go."

"Damn straight." Andy nodded, looking pensive for a moment when he smiled over at Dean. "Hey, can I have it?"

I let out a snort, shaking my head at the stupidity of that question, when suddenly, Dean shot a big smile at him, moving to get out of the car. "Sure, man."

"Whoa, what?" I asked, placing a hand on Dean's arm. "No."

"But he asked for it."

"So?"

"I don't know." Dean mumbled, looking down.

"Seriously, man, I'd love to have this car." Andy smiled broadly.

"Well, alright then." Dean nodded, shaking my hand off as he got out of the car.

"Sweet."

I furrowed my brow, looking at them in confusion. "What the-"

"Sorry, can you get out?" Andy asked, leaning in the car.

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling over at him as a strange fog fell over me. I stepped out, shutting the door behind me as I made my way over to Dean's side, my stomach doing flops.

"Hop right in there." Dean said, gesturing for Andy to get in the drivers seat. "There you go."

A few moments passed in silence as Dean and I watched Andy drive away in the Impala, and it was only until he rounded the corner that we both snapped out of it, sharing a look of sheer confusion.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Dean exclaimed.

"You- you let him take the car!"

"No, no, not just me!"

"I couldn't do anything!"

"Me either!" Dean argued, throwing his hands up.

"Fine, fine." I huffed. " _Us_. _We_ let him take it. Happy?"

"No." Dean muttered, a small pout forming on his lips.

I shook my head as phone started to ring and fished it out of my pocket, flipping it open. "Sam?"

" _Andy's got the Impala!_ "

"I know!"

" _How?_ " Sam asked as I watched Dean pace nervously beside me out of the corner of my eye.

"He just kind of...asked Dean for it, and- and he-" I stuttered, stopping when Dean caught my gaze, his eyes narrowing. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. " _We_ let him have it."

" _You what?!_ "

"He full-on Obi-Wanned me." Dean shouted, kicking the ground with the toe of his boot. "It's mind control, man!"

I heard Sam take in a sharp breath as sounds of tires squealing sounded in the background of the call, a loud horn blaring before the line went dead.

"Sam?!" I called, my eyes going wide. "Sam?!"

"What's wrong?" Dean asked quickly, noting the distress in my voice.

"I don't know." I said, pushing the phone back into my pocket. "Come on, we gotta get over there."

* * *

 **STREET – DAY**

The paramedics were putting Dr. Jennings in a body bag when Dean and I made our way to the gun shop Sam was in, spotting him sitting on the curb with his head leaning on his arms. I slowly sat down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder after he'd explained to us what had happened.

"I kept him out of the gun store. I thought he was okay. I thought he was past it, at least...I should have stayed with him."

"Sam, you had no idea." I said. "It's not your fault."

Sam stared down at the ground for a moment before getting up, glancing back at Dean and I. "Let's go try to find the Impala."

"I'm sure he didn't go very far with it."

"For his sake, I hope not." Dean mumbled through gritted teeth.

"She's okay, Dean." I said, smiling over at him as he rolled his eyes.

We'd only been walking through the small town for about ten minutes when we found the Impala sitting across the street, parked by the curb. Safe and sound.

I had to admit, I felt a little more relaxed at the sight of it.

"Thank god!" Dean exclaimed, jogging a bit ahead of Sam and I to reach the car first, patting the roof tenderly. "Oh, I'm sorry, baby. I'll never leave you again."

"Aw. This is so sweet." I murmured, watching Dean with a small grin on my face. "You two gonna kiss or what?"

"Oh, shut up." Dean mumbled, inspecting the interior. "Hey, at least he left the keys in."

"Yeah. Real Samaritan, this guy." Sam commented, folding his arms.

"Well, it looks like he can't work his mojo just by twitching his nose, he's gotta use verbal commands." Dean said, standing upright.

"The doctor had just gotten off his cell phone when he stepped in front of that bus. Andy must have called him or something."

"I don't know, maybe." Dean shrugged.

"Beg your pardon?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I just don't know if he's our guy, Sam."

"Dean, you had O.J. convicted before he got out of his white Bronco, and yet you have doubts about this?"

"You know anyone else around here that can control minds?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He just doesn't seem like the stone-cold killer type, that's all." Dean shrugged. "You know?"

"Weirdly enough, I do." I agreed, folding my arms. "He can have anything he wants, what really would be his motive to kill somebody?"

"Right." Dean nodded, pointing a finger at his brother. "And O.J. was guilty."

"Either way, how are we going to track this guy down?" Sam asked.

* * *

"Not a problem."

 **STREET – DAY**

As the three of us walked up to Andy's dark blue van from the back, Dean pulled out a crowbar, prying the back doors open. My eyes widened, the three of us pausing as we took in the interior. There was a disco ball handing from the roof, sparkling as flecks of sunlight hit it, a few huge books scattered around the deep red fur rugs lining the floor and a tiger painted on the wall.

"Oh, come on. This is- this is magnificent, that's what this is." Dean nodded, looking around the van in awe before glancing down to me with a grin. "You know, what? We'd definitely have enough time to hop in there and-"

"No!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. "That's disgusting."

"Well-"

"Look at that rug and tell me there isn't some kind of... _something_ living on it."

Dean turned his head to the side, nodding lightly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Yeah."

"Not exactly a serial killer's lair, though. There's no clown paintings on the walls, or scissors stuck in victims' photos. But I do like the tiger." Dean smiled.

" _Hegel_ , _Kant_ , _Wittgenstein_?" Sam muttered, looking through the books. "That's some pretty heavy reading."

"Yeah." Dean chuckled, picking up the large bong sitting off to the side. "And uh, Moby Dick's bong."

"Holy crap." I muttered under my breath, my eyes widening as I stared at it.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Dean asked, smirking over at me.

"I don't think yours was ever _that_ big." I joked, chuckling as he playfully narrowed his eyes at me.

"When did you have a bong?" Sam asked, looking over at his brother with raised eyebrows.

"He didn't." I answered, shaking my head with a laugh as Dean grumbled under his breath, placing the bong back in it's place to the side of the van.

"Maybe I did." Dean said, looking back at me after closing the doors. "You don't know."

"Oh, I know. You never did." I said as we started walking back. "You only smoked weed like, what?Three times. Four, tops."

"That's not true."

"Dean."

"...fine." Dean admitted, his voice low as he shook his head. I smiled up at him, patting his arm lightly before the three of us crossed the street to get to the Impala. I glanced over at Sam, seeing the stressed out look still in his eyes. That look hadn't left his face all day.

I wish I could help him, take some of that worry away. But how could I do that when I was starting to get worried myself?

* * *

 **VACANT LOT – DAY**

We were in sitting in the Impala again, watching for Andy. You'd think by now my legs would be cramping up, but I'd been so used to sitting in this backseat for long periods of time that I've gotten used to it by now.

The one thing I couldn't control, however, was my thoughts. They kept drifting to things I was trying hard to not think about.

"Ugh. You know, one day I'd love to just sit down and eat something I didn't have to microwave at a minimart." Dean complained, throwing the foil down as he chewed whatever it was he was eating.

To be honest, I didn't even know what he'd gotten. My mind was too preoccupied with thinking about everything that had happened these past few months.

"Next time we're at Bobby's, I'll make something." I said, leaning forward in the seat.

"That sounds good."

"Hey, maybe even some pie, too."

"Cherry?" Dean asked, a small smirk on his lips.

"Obviously." I replied, rolling my eyes playfully as Dean leaned his head back onto my shoulder.

Even with everything on my mind, I couldn't help but return his smile, running hand through his hair before leaning down to place a kiss on his lips.

Needless to say, it was never really hard for us to get lost in a moment.

"Hey, I hate to interrupt you two – but we still have something going on here, you know." Sam snapped, raising an eyebrow at us.

"Yeah, sourpuss, we know." Dean huffed, shaking his head as he sat upright.

Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother, an annoyed look on his face as he went back to the stack of papers in his lap. "What I don't get is the motive here. I mean, the doctor was squeaky clean, why would Andy waste him?"

"If it is Andy." Dean shrugged, glancing out of the window.

"Dude, enough."

"What?"

"The doctor was mind-controlled in front of a bus. Andy just happens to have the power of mind control...you do the math."

"I just don't think the guy's got it in him, that's all."

"Well, how the hell would you know?" Sam asked. "I mean, why are you bending over backwards defending him?"

"'Cause you're not right about this." Dean argued.

"About Andy?"

I think I understood why Dean was so adamant about Andy being good. It was because he was hoping, just like I was, that we would never have to go through with what John told us. That he'd end up being wrong about this. That Andy and Sam – and however many people there were out there – could choose to be good, and stay that way no matter what.

I was so engrossed in their conversation and my own thoughts, that I didn't see or hear Andy walking up to the Impala until he slamming his hands down on the open window.

"You think I haven't seen you three? Why are you following me?" Andy asked, his words echoing through my mind as that same fog-like feeling fell over me, and I immediately felt sick.

"Well, we're lawyers." Sam said. "See, a relative of yours has passed aw-"

"Tell the truth!" Andy yelled.

"That's what I'm-"

"We hunt demons." Dean muttered.

"What?" Andy asked, stunned into silence.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, looking at his brother with wide eyes.

"Demons _and_ spirits." I added, not able to stop myself.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Things your worst nightmares wouldn't even touch."

"Would you two shut up?!" Sam called, looking back and forth between Dean and I. I let out a small squeak, trying to literally bit down on my tongue to keep myself from speaking.

"Trying." Dean mumbled, nodding to his brother. "Sam here, he's psychic. Kind of like you."

"Well, not really like you." I shrugged, covering my mouth with my hand. Though I somehow managed to speak through it. "But, he kind of thinks you're a murderer."

"And he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right." Dean finished nervously.

"Okay, you know what? Just leave me alone." Andy ordered, his voice turning into a deep echo, his words reverberating inside my head.

"Okay."

"Sure." I nodded, my stomach turning as a sharp pain ran though my head when Andy finally walked away. I turned to Dean with a grimace as he cringed, holding onto his head. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Dean muttered as Sam quickly got out of the car, following Andy.

I felt a headache coming on, but slowly followed Dean out of the car after Sam and Andy. Sam turned back slightly, holding a hand up to silently tell us to stay back while he went after Andy.

"What are you doing? Look, I- I said leave me alone. Alright? Get out of here, just start driving and never stop." Andy said, a scared look on his face when he realized Sam wasn't following his orders.

"Doesn't seem to work on me, Andy." Sam said.

"What?"

"You can make people do things, can't you? You can tell them what to think."

"Look, that-" Andy paused, laughing nervously. "That's crazy."

"It all started about a year ago, didn't it? After you turned twenty-two. Little stuff at first, and then you got better at controlling it."

"How do you know all this?"

"Because the same thing happened to me, Andy. My mom died in a fire, too. I have abilities, too." Sam told him, taking a small step forward. "You see, we're connected – you and me."

Andy shook his head, moving back a few steps. "You know what? Just- just get out of here, alright?"

"Why did you tell the doctor to walk in front of a bus?" Sam asked abruptly.

"What?" Andy asked, his eyes wide and full of shock.

"Why did you kill him?" Sam asked, his posture suddenly changing as he curled in on himself slightly.

"I didn't!" Andy exclaimed as Sam suddenly sunk to the ground. Dean and I quickly ran over, lowering him down gently so he didn't hurt himself as he clutched onto his head.

"Sam? What is it?" Dean asked.

"Look, I didn't do anything to him." Andy muttered, looking over to me with nervous eyes as I glanced up at him.

"A woman." Sam murmured, his eyes closed tight. "A woman burning alive."

"What else'd you get?"

"A gas station. A woman is gonna kill herself."

"What does he mean, going to?" Andy asked. "What is he, what is-"

"Shut it!" I told him through gritted teeth. Andy nodded quickly, holding his hands up as he took a small step backwards.

"She gets triggered by a call on her cell." Sam said, opening his eyes again.

"When?" I asked, helping him to his feet.

"I don't know. But as long as we keep our eyes on this son of a bitch he can't hurt her." Sam said, nodding to Andy.

"I didn't hurt anybody." Andy said.

"Yeah, not yet." Sam scoffed as a fire engine drove past quickly, sirens blaring.

I turned to Dean, nodding over to the truck. "You should go check it out."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, rushing back to the Impala to go follow the fire truck. Andy glanced between Sam and I, staring to walk away when I stopped him.

"No, not you. You're staying here with us." Sam said.

Andy nodded minutely, taking a small step back from Sam as he glanced between us. Only a few moments of standing around passed before my phone started ringing. I quickly grabbed it, flipping it open.

" _Hey, it's me. She's dead. Burned up, just like Sam said_." Dean told me.

"She's dead." I repeated, telling Sam.

"When?" Sam asked, his eyes wide.

" _Like minutes before I got here!_ " Dean answered, hearing Sam's question. " _I mean the smell hasn't even cleared."_

"She died before Dean even got there." I told Sam. "What's going on with your visions? We usually get some kind of head start."

"I don't know. I can't control them, I don't know what the hell is going on."

" _Listen, you two were with Andy when this whole thing went down, so it- it can't be him. It's gotta be somebody else doing this._ " Dean said.

"Dean, I know what you're saying, I do. But that just- that doesn't make any sense." I muttered.

" _What else is new?_ " Dean asked, pausing a moment. " _I'll dig around here, see what else I can find._ "

"Okay. Be careful."

" _Yeah_." Dean said, hanging up.

"What now?" Sam asked, watching as I shut the phone.

"Dean's gonna stay for a bit, check things out over there." I said, turning to Andy, who looked like he was about to run at any moment. "You still gotta stick with us. And I swear, if you _make_ me do or say anything, I'll break your nose."

"O- okay. No worries." Andy nodded, swallowing hard, looking up to Sam as I turned to walk away. "Is she seri-"

"Yes." Sam answered, indicating for Andy to move in front so he could keep an eye on him.

* * *

 **VACANT LOT – DAY**

I leaned on the side of the old, abandoned truck we'd been hanging around, listening as Sam told Andy nearly everything that had happened to him. It was strange, hearing Sam talk about it all. I never in my life thought I'd hear him talking about visions he was having.

I never could have imagined our lives going this way.

"So you get these premonitions of people about to die?" Andy asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"That's impossible."

"A lot of people would say the same thing about what you do." Sam laughed.

"But...death visions." Andy muttered in awe.

"Yeah."

"Dude, that sucks. I mean, like, when I got my mind thing? It was like a gift, you know, it was- it was like I won the lotto."

"There's one thing I kind of don't get, though." I started, taking a few steps towards them. "I mean, you could have anything you ever wanted...and yet, you still live in your van."

"I mean, I- I got everything I need." Andy shrugged, glancing over at me.

"You're really not a killer, are you?" Sam asked.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

"That's good..." Sam nodded, avoiding my gaze as he looked past Andy. "Means there's hope for both of us."

A small silence fell over us then as Andy glanced back at me, a questioning look in his eyes. I quickly looked away, watching the Impala as Dean pulled into the small lot, getting out of the car.

"Victim's name was Holly Beckett, forty-one, single."

"You know her" I asked, looking over to Andy.

"Nope. Never heard of her." Andy replied, shaking his head.

"Called Ash on the way over here. He came up with a little something." Dean said. "Apparently Holly Beckett gave birth when she was eighteen years old, back in nineteen-eighty-three. Same day you were born, Andy."

"Andy, were you adopted?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah." Andy shrugged like it was no big deal.

"You were?" Dean asked, his eyes going wide. "And you neglected to mention that?"

"Never really came up. I mean, I- I never knew my birth parents, and- and like you said, my adopted mom died when I was a baby." Andy murmured, looking down. "Do you- do you think this Holly woman could actually be my-"

"I don't know." Dean interrupted. "I tried to get a copy of the birth records, but they're hard copy only, sealed in the county office."

"Well, screw that." Andy scoffed, pushing off of the truck.

I watched after him as walked over to the back of the Impala, turning to us with an expectant look on his face. He still looked a little nervous as he glanced over to me, like he was scared to say what he wanted to, in fear it would come out as a command, making me do something and I'd actually follow through with my threat to break his nose.

I knew now he nothing Andy did was done in a malicious way, and I probably never would break his nose, but he didn't need to know that.

* * *

 **RECORDS OFFICE – NIGHT**

Andy easily got us into the office, and it was actually pretty impressive to watch. A little scary, I'll admit, but it was still interesting. As the three of us started going through files, an older man walked in, looking us over.

"Probably shouldn't have left you kids in here."

"No, it'll all be fine, alright? Just go get a cup of coffee." Andy said, leading the man back out of the room. "These aren't the 'droids you're looking for."

"Awesome." Dean grinned, watching Andy. I let out a small snort, shaking my head with a smile as Dean looked back to me. "What? It is."

"I got it." Sam said, lifting a file out of the drawer in front of him to read it over.

"And?" I asked.

"Yeah. Andy, it's true." Sam nodded, looking to Andy as he walked back over to us. "Holly Beckett was your birth mother."

"Huh." Andy mumbled, looking around the room. "Does anyone have a Vicodin?"

"Dr. Jennings was her doctor, too. I mean, he oversaw the adoption." Sam said, handing me the folder when I reached out for it, wanting to look it over myself. "You have a solid connection to both of them."

"Yeah, but I- I didn't kill them."

"We believe you." Dean said as Sam and I nodded. "But uh, who did?"

"Well, I think I have a pretty good guess." I said, looking up from the paper. "Holly Beckett gave birth to twins."

Andy's eyes practically bugged out of his head as he leaned heavily on the table, slowly sinking down to the floor in front of us. I shared a looked with the boys, handing the folder back to Sam as Dean went over to one of the printers. I slowly approached Andy, who was now staring straight ahead, not moving.

"Are you okay?"

"I have an evil twin." Andy mumbled in a monotone voice.

"Well, I guess you could put it that way."

"Holly put you and your brother up for adoption, and you went to the Gallagher family, obviously, and your brother went to the Weems family from upstate." Sam said, reading from the folder.

"Um, what was my brother's name?" Andy asked.

"Uh, Ansen Weems. And he's got a local address."

"He- he lives here?"

"Let's get a look at him. Got his picture coming off from the DMV right now." Dean said, pulling some papers off the printer, looking down at them with surprise. "Hate to kick you while you're freaked, but take a look at that."

Andy's eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the picture Dean handed him. I peaked around, looking down at the paper, a stunned look covering my face.

Well, this just got even more interesting.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

I sat next to Dean in the Impala as he drove down the dark road in front of us, no streetlights lighting the way in the night. Sam sat in the back with Andy, who still seemed to be having a panic attack.

"Alright, Andy. Tell us everything you know about this guy." Sam said.

"Well, I mean, not much. I- Weber shows up one day, eight months ago? Acting like he's my best friend in the world. Kinda weird, like, trying too hard, you know?"

"Must have known you guys were twins." Dean said. "Why did he change his name? Why not just tell you the truth?"

"No idea." Andy shrugged as Sam started rubbing his eyes, a grimace on his face.

"Sam, what's wrong?" I asked, turning around in the seat.

"Sam?" Dean glanced back at his brother worriedly. Sam didn't answer, closing his eyes tighter as he let out a pained groan.

Suddenly, Sam's eyes snapped back open and he frantically tried to get out of the car, pulling on the door handle. Dean quickly pulled the car over and I jumped out, going over to Sam as he leaned out of the open door.

Andy looked at Dean and I, his expression nothing but panic and worry. "Is he- is he okay?"

"Uh, yeah." I answered quickly as Dean helped me hold Sam up by his shoulders while he gagged.

"The bridge." Sam mumbled.

"What?" Dean asked.

"A girl, she's gonna jump off the bridge."

"Who was the girl?"

"She was blonde-"

"Tracy?" Andy asked, panic in his voice.

"The girl from the coffee shop?" I asked, looking between him and Sam.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, getting back in the car. "Come on, we gotta go."

I stood upright next to Dean, the two of us sharing a stressed look as Sam quickly closed the door, knocking on the window to get out attention, nodding to the front seat. I took a deep breath, following Dean back in the car as we made our way to the bridge.

* * *

Dean stopped the Impala near the bridge that Sam saw. We weren't close enough to see if anybody was out there, but by now, I more than trusted Sam's visions and there was no time to waste. Sam and Dean got out of the car at the same time, making their way around to the trunk.

"This is pretty crazy." Andy mumbled.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I muttered, heading over to the trunk.

"Listen, I think you two should stay back." Sam said, looking between Dean and I. I nodded up at him, leaning against the car.

"No argument here." Dean replied quickly, surprising his brother.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've had my head screwed with enough for one day."

Sam nodded, pulling two handguns out, walking back to the front of the car, where Andy was now standing. "I'm coming with you."

"Andy, no."

"If it's Tracy out there...then I'm coming." Andy said, standing straight.

Honestly, neither one of us could really argue with him. Not because he'd made Dean and I go along with what he wanted, but because there was a determination inside of him. He _was_ good, and he wasn't about to sit back and let Weber get away with what he was doing.

* * *

 **WOODS – NIGHT**

I knew Dean wasn't all too comfortable with letting Sam go on his own, regardless of whether or not the mind control thing worked on him. So, we'd worked out that Dean and I would take a couple sniper rifles and head up to the hill beside the bridge.

I wanted to keep an eye on Sam, but all this mind control stuff was really starting to make my uncomfortable. But I kept that to myself, not wanting to make things any more complicated for the boys than I already have.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. I needed to concentrate.

We were making our way up there, being as quiet as possible as we tried to find a good spot, listening in as wind whipped through the night air.

I took my place a few good feet away from Dean, watching through the scope as Sam smashed the window near Weber's head inside his car, pointing his gun in Weber's face.

"Get out of the car now!" Sam yelled, pulling Weber out slightly.

Weber stood out of the car, shaking his head. "You really don't want to do this."

My stomach started flopping around as Sam backhanded Weber hard, sending him to the ground as he put a strip of duct tape over his mouth. Andy quietly moved around to the other side of the car, pulling Tracy out, hugging her to him.

"Come here, come here. It's okay."

"Andy!" Tracy exclaimed. "I can't! I couldn't control myself."

Suddenly Tracy picking up a large branch that had fallen on the bridge and hit Sam over the head, and he fell unconscious. My eyes widened and I quickly glanced over at Dean, seeing him getting antsy.

"Don't." I whispered to him, trying to stop him before he did anything too soon. I looked back down to the bridge, seeing Weber staring over at Tracy from the ground.

"Tracy, stop!" Andy called. "I said, stop it!"

Tracy dropped the stick, back away slowly, terror covering her face as Weber pulled the duct tape off.

"How did you do that?" Andy asked, looking over at him.

"Practice, bro. If you'd just practice, you would know. Sometimes you don't need to use your words. If you have to-" Weber started, tapping on the side of his head. "-all you need is this. Sometimes the headache's worth it."

"You're a twisted son of a bitch!" Andy yelled, grabbing Weber's arms. I watched helplessly as Tracy moved over to the ledge of the bridge, standing there staring down into the water.

"Back off, Andy. Or Tracy's gonna do a little flying." Weber said, nodding back to Tracy.

"No." Andy muttered, watching her.

"Aren't you, Trace?" Weber asked, turning back to Andy. "I'm stronger than you. I can do it."

"Okay, okay." Andy said, backing away with his hands up. "Okay. Alright, just- just please don't hurt her."

"Don't be mad at me, okay? I know, it's- it's all wrong. I didn't mean for this to happen, it's just...Tracy? She's trying to come between us."

"You're insane."

"She's garbage! Man, they all are!" Weber said, his voice louder. "We can- we can push them, we can make them do whatever we want!"

"Are you really- are you really this stupid?" Andy asked.

"What?"

"I mean, you- you learn you've got a twin, you call him up, you go out for a drink. You don't start killing people!" Andy exclaimed.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long, bro." Weber said, like this was a normal reunion. "But he didn't let me. He said I had to wait until the time was..."

"Who?"

"The man with the yellow eyes."

I felt a chill run down my spine at the mention of the demon, glancing over at Dean out of the corner of my eye to see him shifting around. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath before looking back to Andy and Weber.

"What are you talking about?"

"He came to me. In my dream. He said I was special. He told me he's got big plans for me. Wait 'til you see what's in store, Andy. For both of us! See, he's the one who told me that I had a brother. A twin."

"Why did you kill our mother? Why?" Andy asked. "And why Dr. Jennings?"

"Because they split us up! They ruined our lives, Andy! We could have been together this whole time, instead of alone. I couldn't- I couldn't let them do that, I couldn't let them get away with that." Weber manically.

I looked back to Dean, seeing his finger ready on the trigger when Weber turned around, looking straight up to Dean. My stomach dropped as he stared there for a moment, his eyes sliding over in my direction.

"I see you two up there." Weber smiled sinisterly, waving at us. "Bye-bye."

I felt that fog fall over me, only this time it was much worse, much heavier. My stomach practically turned in on itself, and I wanted to get sick right here. The worst of it all was that I wasn't able to stop myself as I turned my gun on Dean, finding him already aiming his towards me.

Tears started to spill down my cheeks as a part of me screamed inside my mind, trying to beat down the wall Weber put up. But I couldn't. I couldn't control myself anymore.

That feeling was all too familiar, reminding me of a certain night I'd much rather forget. Flashes of my reflection with pitch black eyes, blood covering my hands, flashed through my mind.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen, when suddenly, I heard the sound of a gunshot echoing through the air. I quickly pulled my finger off the trigger as I regained control, sharing a look with Dean, not really trying to hide my fear as I glanced back down to the bridge to see Andy shaking and standing over Weber with a gun in his hand.

* * *

 **BRIDGE – MORNING**

Police cars, ambulances and fire trucks were parked all over the bridge, scattered around as they tried to make sense of what had actually happened. Dean and I stood next to Sam, leaning on the wall of the bridge as he got his arm bandaged.

I nestled into Dean's side as he wrapped an arm around me. He knew what happened before really got to me, even if I didn't say anything.

I was so thankful I could always count on him to be there for me. Which right now, was strangely enough not comforting at all. Instead, it just made me feel even more guilty than before, if that were even possible. Though I was quickly finding that it was.

If I had told him what I'd done, he probably wouldn't even want to be near me right now...or ever again.

"He shot himself. And you all saw it happen." Andy said confidently to a small group of cops standing around him.

"Yeah. We did." One of the men muttered with a nod.

"Look at him. He's getting better at it." Sam commented after the EMT that had been patching up his arm walked away.

Andy passed by an ambulance on his way over to us, glancing back at Tracy as she sat at the back of it with a black wrapped around her shoulders. As soon as his eyes landed on her, she looked to the ground, avoiding his gaze.

A sad look crossed Andy's face as he turned away, slowly walking over to us. "She won't even look at me."

"Yeah, she's pretty shaken up." Sam said, standing up.

"No, it's- this is different. It's, uh, I never- I never used my mind thing on her before- before last night. She's scared of me now."

"Hey, Andy, I hate to do this, but we have to get out of here." Sam said, handing him a piece of paper. "Here, I wrote down my cell. You don't have to be alone in this, alright? If anything comes up, just call me."

"Wha- what am I supposed to do now?"

"You be good, Andy. Or we'll be back." Dean threatened, Andy's face falling slightly.

"What is it with you two threatening me?" Andy asked, forcing a little smile on his face as he glanced between Dean and I.

"Don't worry about it." I said, returning Andy's small smile. "Being good, it won't be hard for you, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Take care of yourself."

Andy nodded up at me, glancing down to the ground with a heavy sigh as Sam, Dean and I turned, walking back to the Impala.

"Looks like I was right." Sam muttered.

"About what?" Dean asked, his arm still wrapped around around me as he looked over to his brother.

"Andy. He's a killer after all."

"No, he's not. He's a hero. He saved Tracy's life." I pointed out, nodding to Dean and myself. "Hell, he saved our lives."

"Bottom line – last night, he wasted somebody."

"Yeah, but he's not a foaming-at-the-mouth psycho. He was just- he was pushed into that." Dean said.

"Weber was pushed too, in his own way. Max Miller was pushed." Sam muttered. "Hell, I was pushed by Jessica's death."

"What's your point, Sam?"

"Right circumstances, everyone's capable of murder. Everyone. You know, maybe that's what the demon's doing. Pushing us. Finding ways to break us." Sam said, looking over at me.

I quickly averted my eyes, afraid they were giving away too much – that I looked too guilty.

I knew from the look on Sam's face that he also could tell something was going on with me. As much as I tried, I knew I wasn't totally acting like myself. Sam shot me a questioning look as I darted my eyes away from him again, pretending to get distracted by the water as it overlapped on itself, getting blown around by the wind.

Dean glanced down at me, too, letting out a small breath as worry covered his features. I knew he didn't like how I was acting lately. But thankfully, he decided not to comment on it, going back to his conversation with Sam.

"Listen, we don't know what the demon wants, okay? Quit worrying about it." Dean said, letting his arm slowly fall from my shoulders as he moved to walk to the driver side of the Impala.

"You know, I heard you before, Dean. When Andy made you tell the truth. You're just as scared of this as I am."

"That was mind control!" Dean exclaimed. "I mean, it's like- that's like being roofied, man. That doesn't count."

"What?" Sam asked, stopping dead in his tracks as I folded my arms, biting my lip.

"No. I'm- I'm calling do-over." Dean said, glancing over at me. I raised an eyebrow at him, leaning against the back of the Impala.

"A _do-over_?" I asked, not able to stop the small smile that spread across my lips as I looked up at him.

"What are you, seven?" Sam scoffed, trying to hide his slight amusement.

"Doesn't matter." Dean muttered, shaking his head. "Look, we've just gotta keep doing what we're doing, find that evil son of a bitch and kill it."

"Yeah, I guess." Sam mumbled doubtfully, looking back at me as Dean's phone started to ring.

"Hello?" Dean answered, a surprised look on his face. "Ellen. What's going on?" I shared a look with Sam before glancing back to Dean as he shot us a nervous look. "Yeah, we'll be right there."

* * *

 **ROADHOUSE – DAY**

My leg was bouncing up and down on the rung of the stool I sat on in between Sam and Dean. I couldn't help but squirm underneath Ellen's gaze as she watched the three of us closely from behind the bar we were sitting at.

"Jo?" Ellen called, glancing over at her daughter who was wiping down one of the tables. Jo looked up, raising her eyebrows in question. "Go pull up another case of beer."

Jo let out a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes. "Mom..."

"Now. Please." Ellen said, her voice stern. Jo thew her hands up in the air, walking into the back room. As soon as she left, Ellen leaned down on the bar in front of us. "So. You uh- you want to tell me about this last hunt of yours?"

"No. Not really." Dean shrugged. "No offense, it's just kind of a family thing."

"Not anymore." Ellen said, bending down to pick up a big stack of papers behind the bar before dropping them in front of us. "I got this stuff from Ash. Andrew Gallagher's house burnt down on his six month birthday, just like your house. You think it was the demon both times, don't you? You think it went after Gallagher's family?"

"Yeah, we think so." Sam nodded.

"Sam..." Dean mumbled, looking over at his brother.

"Why?"

"Is this really any of your business?" I asked, speaking up for the first time.

"You listen to me." Ellen said, narrowing her eyes at me. "This isn't just your war, this is our war. Now, something big and bad's coming and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards-"

"We don't really even know you." I said, stopping her. "Give me one good reason why we should trust you with any of this?"

Ellen raised an eyebrow, leaning down on the bar in front of me. "You want to protect your family. I get it, and I admire that. But right now, at best, all we got is us. Together. No secrets or half-truths here. 'Cause what's coming is bigger than us all. And if you really want to keep the people you care about safe, we're just gonna have to trust each other."

I stared up at her for a moment, debating. Though I knew I really had no say in it. In the end, it was Sam's choice if he wanted to tell them or not. Part of me felt uncomfortable with it, but I had to remember that John, at one point or another, had trusted her...and I guess we should, too.

To be honest, after being with her for the short amount of time we were, she seemed like a trustworthy person. But I was always cautious either way.

"Yeah." I nodded. "You're right."

"Good." Ellen said, looking over to Sam who seemed to be itching to say something.

"There are people out there, like Andy Gallagher – like me. And um...we all have some kind of ability."

"Ability?" Ellen asked, her eyes darting over to Dean and I. Dean rolled his eyes, letting out an uncomfortable huff as he shifted around.

"Yeah. Psychic ability. Me, I have, um- I have visions. Premonitions. I don't know, it's- it's different for everybody." Sam explained. Ellen just nodded, seeming to take this a lot better than I thought she would. "The demon said he had plans for people like us."

"What kind of plans?"

"We don't really know." I said.

"These people out there, these psychics – they dangerous?"

"No. Not all of them." Dean answered.

"But some are." Sam added. "Some are very dangerous."

"Okay, how many of them are we looking at?"

"We've been able to track a clear pattern so far. They've all had house fires on the night of the kid's six month birthday." Dean told her.

"That's not true." Sam interjected, looking over at us.

"What?" I asked.

"Weber? Or Ansen Weems, or whatever his name is – I looked at his files, and there was no house fire. There's nothing out of the ordinary."

"Which breaks pattern." Ellen said. "So if there's any others like him, there'd be nothing in the system. No way to track them all down."

"So who knows how many of them are really out there?" I mumbled, sharing a nervous look with Sam and Dean as Ellen leaned towards the backroom.

"Jo, honey?"

"Yeah?" Jo replied, leaning in the doorway.

"You'd better break out the whiskey instead." Ellen said. Jo nodded, silently moving back into the room. I watched her as she walked away to help Jo bring out a few more bottles of whiskey, shaking my head as I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

Night had already fallen, and Ellen made sure she put the closed sign on the doors so nobody else came in before pouring us each a glass of whiskey. I took mine, getting up and moving over to a table beside one of the windows. I looked out into the night, staring up all the stars, just letting my mind wander.

I'd gotten lost in my thoughts, jumping slightly as Dean sat down in front of me. "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah- yeah, I'm fine." I nodded, taking a sip of my drink.

"So, I figure Sam will be fine on his own for one night." Dean muttered, a grin on his lips. "We can have some time alone."

I swallowed hard, trying to hide the nervous feeling bubbling up inside of me with a smile. "Oh yeah? And what would we do exactly?"

"Well, first I'd take off all your clothes-"

"Romantic." I mumbled sarcastically.

"Let me finish." Dean muttered, rolling his eyes, a small playing smirk on his lips. "I'd lay you down, run my hands all over your body. Kiss you everywhere. And I do mean, _everywhere_." He grinned, watching me bite my lip as I thought very hard about what he was saying. "And then-"

Dean stopped abruptly, slowly looking over to his left. I furrowed my brow, wondering what distracted him enough to get him to stop as I followed his gaze, my eyes going wide when I saw Ash standing in the doorway, grinning over at us.

"Don't mind me." Ash mumbled drunkenly, leaning heavily on the door frame before stumbling over to the bar. "Little lovebirds."

"Well, that killed the mood." Dean grumbled, letting out a sigh.

"No..." I shook my head, trying to control the laughter threatening to come out. "Well, maybe a little."

"Damn Ash." Dean huffed. "How much longer you think we have to stay here?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I mean, what do we say? _Sorry guys, gotta bail so we can go have sex_."

"I'm okay with that if you are." Dean said, a small smile building on his lip as I chuckled.

"I think we should stay just a little big longer. Plus, that wouldn't be fair to Sam...dragging him away from here just so we can go be alone."

"He can stay."

"Dean."

"Fine." Dean muttered, standing up and holding his hand out for my glass. "If we're staying, I need more whiskey."

"Yeah, thanks." I nodded, handing him the nearly empty glass.

As Dean walked away, I rested my head in my hands, going back to staring out the window.

* * *

We didn't spend that much more time at the roadhouse. Dean was itching to get out of here so after a few more drinks, we left. There was a motel nearby that Sam had remembered seeing, so we headed over there.

Dean was sitting in the backseat with me while Sam drove for once, and every so often, Dean would lean over, placing kissed along my jaw – ignoring his brother's annoyed grumbles. I felt myself smile as Dean kissed down my neck, loving when he did that.

But lately, it felt off somehow. I didn't fully feel like myself, that same guilt just looming over me.

Even though, I still didn't stop Dean from pealing my clothes off two seconds after we'd entered our room, running my hands through his hair as he kissed me before placing me on the bed. I didn't stop when he moved down my body, placing kisses the whole way until he was exactly where I wanted him to be.

I didn't stop when he hovered over me, placing kisses on my neck as he sank slowly into me. The both of us let out a loud moan at the contact, and I closed my eyes – enjoying the feeling of him moving inside me and the sounds he made while doing so.

Everything touch, every move, was incredible – making me forget almost all my guilt as amazing feelings flowed through my body multiple times – until we were both exhausted, and more than satisfied.

Dean pressed his forehead onto mine, kissing my lips softly before gently moving to my side. I turned my head, looking back at him with a smile as he watched me for a moment. I felt my heavy eyelids flutter and Dean shot me a small smile before kissing my neck once more as he silently pulled me into his arms.

There was no getting around the fact that he made me feel better no matter what, and I'd like to think I do the same for him. Though right now, after the high wore off, and I laid with his arms wrapped around me – listening to the calm breaths he took as he fell asleep – all I could think about was how I hadn't told him the truth.

He didn't know what happened, but he should. He needs to know. Dean and I, we didn't keep secrets from each other. We just didn't. If something happened, we told each other. But this time, I couldn't seem to force myself into telling him. No matter what, I always found an excuse – and tonight was no different.

Dean was tired, I was tired. We just had a blissful moment and he was happy...why should I ruin it?

So instead, I snuggled back into him, feeling his arms tighten around me as I finally fell asleep to his steady breathing.

* * *

 **Another chapter down!**

 **Sorry for all the confusion with this particular chapter, I got a little stuck with the plot and deiced I wanted it to go a slightly different way. Hopefully I won't think of something else and delete it again lol  
Anyway, I'm probably gonna go back and change the chapter song to something a little more fitting, but I'm leaving **_**Weatherman**_ **for now so I can just post it!**

 **I know the** _ **sex scenes**_ **aren't too in depth in this story just yet. I honestly want to put more into it, but I'm also still a little nervous about writing something like that. Not sure why, but I'm certainly no E. L. James and probably never will be lol**

 **Also! Congrats to Jensen and Misha for winning Choice TV Chemistry! Fun fact: I totally ship Destiel ;)**

 **As always, I love to read your thoughts and opinions, so if you have any feel free to write a review or message me!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. No Exit

_Whisper from the wind  
It's telling me to don't go home yet  
Stay the night with me  
I'm seeing who is here and gone now  
If it comes back to me  
I'll tell you where my life is ending  
If you just wait and see  
I'll show you a new beginning  
…_

 _Count the nights we sleep  
The hours that you'll burn without me  
Love you couldn't see  
The cold was only fear  
'Till I found me  
Don't hold your breath for me  
Can't reach your tall mark  
But I'll keep my aim high  
'Til I make your bulls eye  
_ _  
I will dive to your heart_  
 _Never mend from the start_  
 _I will dive to your heart_  
 _Hold on_  
 _Hold onto your heart_

 _ **True Violet – Whisper**_

* * *

 **HARVELLE'S ROADHOUSE – DAY**

It seemed as though we'd been doing anything to keep our minds off of everything that had happened the past couple of days. No matter what we did, no matter how many stupid little jokes Dean made, I could see it in Sam that he was always a little down, never really himself anymore. To be honest, that's what worried me the most. Not the weird dreams, not the visions.

The fact that he was changing himself...a lot. That he tried to be more guarded lately, much more withdrawn than usual.

I knew it bothered Dean, too. That's why he didn't stop trying to make his little brother laugh, even if it was because of some stupid joke that he came up with out of nowhere.

Dean pulled the Impala up in front of the roadhouse, glancing over at Sam, who had been staring out the window the whole was here. I didn't really want to come, but we were close and Dean said he wanted to rest up a bit and have a few more drinks before we hit the road again. I didn't put up much of a fuss, seeing that Sam was kind of on board with the idea.

Twenty minutes later, we were here, making our way towards the doors.

"Los Angeles, California." Dean muttered.

"What's in L.A.?" Sam asked curiously, looking over at his brother.

"Young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult."

"Yeah? Girl got a name?"

"Katie Holmes." Dean said, a small smirk on his lips.

"That's funny." Sam laughed lightly, shaking his head. I glanced up at Dean, seeing that small amount of pride in his eyes that he got Sam to crack a smile.

"And for you, so bitchy." I added, smiling up at him as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders with a chuckle.

We were only a few feet from the roadhouse doors when the loud sound of glass shattering came from the other side, followed by a few unintelligible yells.

"Of course, on the other hand – catfight." Dean said, glancing down at me as we cautiously made our way inside. Ellen and Jo were shouting at each other, their words muffled by the floor as they stomped around the upper level of the roadhouse.

"I am your mother, I don't have to be reasonable!" Ellen yelled.

"You can't keep me here!" Jo retorted. I shared a look with Sam and Dean, taking a small breath as they kept going at each other.

"Oh, don't you bet on that, sweetie."

"What are you going to do? Are you going to chain me up in the basement?" Jo asked, walking out of the door behind the bar.

"You know what, you've had worse ideas than that recently." Ellen said, appearing in the doorway behind her daughter. "Hey, you don't wanna stay – don't stay. Go back to school."

"I didn't belong there!" Jo exclaimed, turning towards her mother. "I was a freak with a knife collection."

"Yeah, and getting yourself killed on some dusty back road, that's where you belong?!" Ellen asked, turning around to see us standing there. She shook her head, an exasperated look on her face. "Guys, bad time."

"Yes, ma'am." Sam nodded.

"Yeah, we rarely drink before ten anyway." Dean mumbled, the three of us moving to leave when Jo shook her head.

"Wait. I wanna know what they think about this."

"I don't care what they think!" Ellen exclaimed.

"Well, I do."

"Well, we were just leaving-" I started, trying to pull the boys back to the door as Ellen stared us down. Just then the phone rang, Jo glared at it as Ellen moved to go answer.

"Harvelle's. Yeah, Preacher."

Jo took a few steps towards us, picking up a folder on her way. "Th-"

"No." I said, shaking my head.

"But-"

"Jo, don't involve us. We don't need your Mom on our asses. We have enough problems." I muttered, letting out a small huff as she rolled her eyes, ignoring me.

"Three weeks ago a young girls disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." Jo told us, shoving the folder in her hands at Dean. "Take it, it won't bite."

"No, but your Mom might." Dean replied, his eyes darting nervously over to Ellen.

"Fine." Jo huffed, pushing her lips as she turned to me.

"Jo, I just said-"

"I know what you said. Just read it." Jo said adamantly. I raised an eyebrow at her sudden intensity, taking the folder from her hand, starting to flip through the pages.

"And this girl wasn't the first. Over the past eighty years six women have vanished." Jo continued, noticing the interest on my face as I read. "All from the same building, all young blondes. Only happens every decade or two so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer, or-"

"Who put this together? Ash?" I interrupted, looking up at her from the folder.

"I did it myself." She announced proudly. I glanced over at Sam and Dean, finding impressed looks on their faces as they looked down at the folder.

"I gotta admit. We hit the road for a lot less." Sam shrugged.

"Good. You like the case so much, you take it." Ellen said, coming back into the room.

"Mom!" Jo cried, turning back to her mother.

"Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you too. I just won't." Ellen said adamantly, her voice hard. Jo turned around, pleaded to us with her eyes.

"Sorry Jo." I muttered, shrugging as Sam, Dean and I left a very upset looking Jo back in the roadhouse.

* * *

 **APARTMENT BUILDING – DAY**

The three of us inspected the apartment with some EMF meters, also looking for anything strange or out of the ordinary. Sam went around the kitchen counters and doorways with his meter, letting out a sigh as he stopped.

"I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case." Sam muttered, glancing over at me, then Dean.

"I don't." I shrugged honestly.

"Yeah, maybe she put together a good file. But could you see her out here working one of these things? I don't think so." Dean said, glancing over at me. "You getting anything?"

"Nope." I mumbled, running my meter over the light switch by the door. It started humming a bit, so I moved a little closer, inspecting it. I furrowed my brow, staring down at the goo that poured out of the sides of the switch. "What's that?"

"What?" Dean asked, moving over to my side.

Sam came over then, reaching out to touch the goo. "Holy crap."

"That's ectoplasm." Dean mumbled, touching the goo as well, looking up at us with a sarcastic look in his eyes. "Well, guys, I think I know what we're dealing with here. It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man."

"Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, to make this stuff you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit."

"Alright, let's find this badass before he snags any more girls." Dean said, moving out of the apartment first. I shared a quick look with Sam before following him out into the hallway.

I heard some voices coming from down the hallway and the three of us quickly moved behind the corner of a wall, peaking out. Just as the voices got closer, I recognized one of them, rolling my eyes as I stepped out into the hallway.

"It's so convenient." Jo said, shooting me a small smile as she walked down the hallway, an older man next to her.

"Yeah, it's a great building, fixed it up real nice. All the apartments come furnished, too." The landlord muttered.

"It is so spacious. You know, my friend told me I absolutely have to come check it out, and I have to admit, she was right. You did a really good job with this place."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean asked.

"There you are, honey." Jo smiled, grabbing Dean around the waist. "This is my boyfriend Dean, his buddy Sam, and his sister Tori."

My eyes widened as Jo glanced back at me, a small smirk on her face. I glared at her, feeling Sam drape an arm over my shoulders to keep me from going at her. I shrugged out of Sam's grasp, roughly moving Jo off of Dean.

"Oh, you're such a kidder." I laughed, shaking my head at her, rubbing my knuckles on top of her head as I looked up to the confused landlord. "Jo is actually my _baby_ sister."

"Oh?" He asked, watching as Dean wrapped an arm tightly around me.

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling up at the man as I nodded to Dean. "Dean is _my_ fiance."

Jo glared at me, pretending to smile. "Sorry, _sis_. After Dean and I hooked up that one time, well, I just can't help myself."

"And which dream was that again?" I asked, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow. Jo just grinned, folding her arms as I turned my attention back to the landlord. "Jo here has had such a cute little crush on Dean since, well... _forever._ It's just adorable."

"Okay...can we just-" Dean started, shooting wide-eyed looks at Jo and I.

"It's uh- it's good to meet you all." The landlord muttered.

"So...did you already check out that apartment?" Jo asked, looking over at Dean. "The one for rent."

"Yeah. Yes." Dean nodded. "We loved it. Great flow."

"How'd you get in?" The man asked, looking between us.

"It was open." I replied quickly. "Now, um, when did the last tenant move out?"

"Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stick me for the rent."

"Well, her loss is our gain. 'Cause if my Dean loves it, then it's perfect for me." I smiled, pulling Dean closer.

"Aw, sweetie." Dean muttered playfully, looking back to the landlord as he pulled out some cash. "We'll take it."

* * *

After the landlord left I felt myself fuming as we walked into the apartment, slamming the door hard behind me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, grabbing Jo's arm, turning her around.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want me to break your neck, or what?"

"Listen, maybe I went a little too far back there-"

"You think?"

"You could've ruined everything by screwing up my lie." Jo huffed.

"Oh, you mean the one where you're dating Dean and I'm his sister? Or the one where you hooked up with him?"

"Like Dean would ever ask you to marry him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked, sounding slightly offended. I shot him a look, rolling my eyes as I turned back to Jo.

"First of all, you really don't even know us. Don't make assumptions." I said, closing my eyes for a second to stop myself from getting too annoyed by her jab. "And, it's a good thing that landlord was so gullible, Jo. _You_ could've ruined everything just by being here."

"I don't see how." Jo mumbled. "You're the one's who broke into a locked apartment."

"That's not what I mean! Listen, it's simple. You're _not supposed to be here_ , and when your mother finds out, she's gonna kill you."

"Well, she's not gonna find out."

"Where does she think you are right now?"

"I told her I was going to Vegas." Jo shrugged.

"And she bought that?"

"Listen, I'm not an idiot. I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos."

"You shouldn't lie to your mom." I said, folding my arms. "And you really shouldn't be here either."

"Well, I am. So untwist your panties and deal with it." Jo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" Sam asked.

"Working at the Roadhouse."

"Hunters don't tip that well." Dean said.

"Well, they aren't that good at poker, either." Jo smirked.

"I'm telling Ellen." I said, pulling my phone out. Jo's eyes widened as she ran over to me.

"No. Don't do that." Jo pleaded. I shook my head, flipping the phone open. Just then Sam's phone rang and we all stared down at it as he took it out of his pocket, cringing as he held it to his ear.

"Well, I wonder who that is." I muttered, raising an eyebrow at Jo.

"Hey, Ellen." Sam muttered. I heard Ellen's muffled voice on the other end and Sam held the phone back covering it with his hand as he looked down to Jo. "I'm telling her."

Jo narrowed her eyes, shaking her head furiously as she whisper-yelled. "Don't!"

"I have to." Sam whispered back. Jo stared up at him for a moment, and Sam's shoulder's slumped as he uncovered the phone.

"Sam." Dean warned, knowing what he was about to do.

"I haven't seen her."

" _You sure about that?_ " I heard Ellen ask.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Sam nodded, closing his eyes tight for a moment before looking over at Dean and I as he hung up the phone. I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head as Jo shot us a triumphant smile.

"Well, then." Jo muttered, taking in a deep breath. "I call the bedroom!"

"No. If we have to do this, which apparently, now we do-" I said, shooting Sam another look. "-wouldn't it make more sense for _two_ people to have the bed?"

"You're right." Jo nodded, looking behind me at Dean. "I don't mind sharing."

"Okay, let me just stop you right now." I said, taking a step in front of her. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but end it."

"What do you mean?"

"Jo." I warned, narrowing my eyes at her.

"What?"

"Stop this. I'm serious."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Fine, then. Dean and I get the bedroom." I smirked, folding my arms. "I'm sure I don't need to explain why."

"Please, don't." Jo mumbled, backing away. I looked behind me to see Dean leaning against the counter, a huge grin on his lips. As soon as I turned around, he stopped smiling, forcing a blank expression onto his face.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean asked innocently.

"Oh, please." I scoffed, "Don't pretend like you aren't enjoying this."

"I don't like seeing you upset."

"Yeah, sure." I scoffed. "You're loving every second of this."

"Well..." Dean smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I muttered, throwing him a small smile as Jo started pulling out blueprints of the whole building, flattening them out on the table as she flipped around a small knife.

Truthfully, I might like her if she wasn't such a giant pain in my ass.

* * *

Not too long after, Dean and I were sitting on the couch, going over a few things while Jo still sat at the table. Sam was acting like he hadn't ruined this whole thing, and truthfully, I was still mad at him for lying to Ellen, but I knew we had a job to get done and couldn't let it get in the way. She was here now and we had to deal with it. I started bouncing my knee up and down in annoyance as I took in a gust of air, trying to steady my breaths.

"This place was built in nineteen-twenty-four. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago." Jo said, looking up at us.

"Yeah, I know." I muttered, taking another deep breath, trying to stop myself from getting angry with her all over again.

What was important right now was the job. That's what I had to keep telling myself.

"What was here before nineteen-twenty-four?" Dean asked.

"Nothing." Jo shrugged. "Empty field."

"So, most likely scenario, someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell." Sam interjected.

"I already checked. In the past eighty-two years, zero violent deaths. Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor." Jo said, staring down at my knee. "Could you stop that?"

I narrowed my eyes at her as she stared over at me, pursing her lips. I heard Dean take in a sharp breath before I could reply, turning to Jo. "So, have you checked police reports, county death records-"

"Obituaries, mortuary reports and seven other sources. I know what I'm doing." She said, looking offended.

"I think the jury's still out on that one." I said, nodding to the small knife in her hand as I stood to my feet. "Could you put the knife down before you hurt yourself?"

Jo raised an eyebrow at me, slowly placing the knife down on the table by her hand. The two of us stared at each other for a moment, eyebrows raised in annoyance.

"Okay!" Sam exclaimed, catching our attention as he got up. "So, uh, it's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it."

"Well, we've got to scan the whole building." Jo said. "Everywhere we can get to, right?"

"Right. So, you and me, we'll take the top two floors." Dean said to Jo, standing to his feet. I shot him a look as he paused, glancing back to me. "You're coming, too, of course."

"We'd move faster if we split up." Jo muttered, folding her arms.

"Oh, I don't think so." I said, facing her. "We're responsible for keeping you alive now. There's no way you're going anywhere alone."

"I didn't mean by myself." She mumbled. "I meant alone with Dean."

"Do you hear how desperate you sound?"

Jo just shrugged, watching Dean as he headed for the door, exasperated look on his face. Jo begrudgingly got up, following him out. I hung back for a minute, shooting a glare at Sam.

"Look, I know you're mad at me-"

"Why wouldn't you just tell Ellen about her?"

"I don't know." Sam shrugged. "She just- she seems like she has a reason for being here."

"Yeah. She's an irresponsible child who thinks she can do things that she can't." I said.

"Wow, you uh- you really don't like her, huh?"

"Maybe if she didn't try to get in Dean's plants every two minutes..."

"Tori, don't take this the wrong way, okay?"

"What?"

"Remember how people treated you in the beginning? How no one thought you could do it? No one took you seriously." Sam said, shooting me a cautious look. "But you did do it. And more. You proved them wrong because we gave you a chance. Bobby gave you a chance, remember that?"

"Bobby didn't really think I could get through it the beginning." I mumbled.

"But you proved him wrong. And now, there's pretty much no one he'd trust over you. Not even Dean and me."

"No-"

"Come on, you know it's true." Sam said, shooing me an expectant look. I slowly nodded my head, having to admit that I knew it was true.

I'd developed a great relationship with Bobby over the years. He was the closest thing I'd ever know to a real father...even more than John.

"What's your point, Sam?" I asked.

"I'm just saying that, you know, that maybe Jo is like- like a-"

"I'm sorry, are you trying to say that Jo is a younger version of me?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Yeah!" Sam exclaimed, his eyes widening when I narrowed mine at him. "No! No, not that way."

"Better not."

"Just give her a chance." Sam said, shrugging slightly. "There might be more to her than hitting on Dean to piss you off, you know?"

As much as I hated to admit it, in the end, I knew he was right.

Damn him for being so rational.

"Yeah..."

"Also, she's blonde." Sam muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, my eyes going wide when it sunk in. "Sam Winchester, are you suggesting we use poor little Jo as ghost bait? Dangle her in front of it like a little worm?"

"Well, no. You're definitely enjoying that image a little too much, though." Sam chuckled, raising an eyebrow at me as I shrugged, a small grin on my lips. "I'm just saying...you know, we have a backup plan."

"I guess you're right." I said, folding my arms. "But listen, everything you said – that doesn't mean I'm gonna start being nice to her."

"Didn't think you would be." Sam smiled, nudging my shoulder. "Now go, she might be trying to make out with Dean."

"That's not even funny." I mumbled, shaking my head as I headed out into the hallway to find Dean standing as far away from Jo as he possibly could, an awkward look on his face.

"Ready?" Dean asked, his eyes lighting up when he saw me.

"Sure." I nodded, a small smile on my face as we headed down the hallway.

* * *

 **HALLWAY – DAY**

We'd been scanning various parts of the building for a little while not, finding absolutely nothing. Jo had been surprisingly quiet, concentrating on the task at hand. We make our way down a dim hallway, some light shining in through one of the windows behind us. I was behind Dean, leaving Jo out in front of both of us so we could watch her.

"So, you gonna buy me dinner?" Jo asked, glancing back at Dean.

"What are you talking about?"

"I haven't said anything, it's just, if you're gonna ride me this close, it's only decent you buy me dinner."

"Oh, that's hilarious." Dean muttered, dryly. "You know, it's bad enough Sam lied to your mom, but if you think we're letting you out of our sight...I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kind of the spirit's type."

"Exactly."

"Wait, you _want_ to be bait?" I asked, my eyes going wide as I thought about Sam's backup plan.

"Quickest way to draw it out and you know it."

"Oh." Dean mumbled, shaking his head as he stopped walking.

"What?" Jo asked.

"This is- this is just bad."

"You know, I've had it up to here with your crap." Jo said, spinning around on her heels to face Dean.

"Excuse me?"

"You think women can't do the job."

"Sweetheart, this ain't gender studies. Women can do the job just fine." Dean said.

"Yeah, hello…?" I mumbled, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You're a woman?" Jo asked, feigning surprise.

"Oh, you know what?" I said through gritted teeth, narrowing my eyes at her as I took a fast step forward. Suddenly, I felt Dean throw his arm out, stopping me.

"Okay, stop it." Dean told Jo, his voice serious. "Tori is a perfect example. She's one of the best hunters I've even met. See, it has nothing to do with being a woman. It has to do with being an amateur. You have no experience. But what you _do_ have is a bunch of half-baked romantic that some barflies put in your head."

"Now you sound like my mother." Jo complained, folding her arms.

"And that's a bad thing? Because let me tell you-"

"What?"

"Forget it." Dean said, glancing down at me before walking a few feet away.

"No, you started this." Jo said, turning towards him. Dean let out a huff, turning back around.

"Jo, you've got options. No one in their right mind _chooses_ this life. My dad started me in this when I was so young...I wish I could do something else." Dean said, looking back at me. I couldn't help but control the slight surprise on my face as Dean glanced back down to the ground, avoiding my eyes.

I never thought I'd hear him say that.

Hunting was to be the only thing he ever wanted to do as far as I'd ever known. Now he wished be could do something else? I wasn't exactly sure how to process that, really.

"But you love the job." Jo said, glancing between the two of us.

"Yeah, but we're a little twisted." Dean muttered, shooting me a small grin. I smiled back at him, pushing my hands in my pockets.

"You don't think I'm a little twisted, too?"

"Jo, you've got a mother that worries about you, who wants something more for you. Those are good things. You don't throw things like that away. Might be hard to find later." Dean said, turning back around to head down the hallway.

Jo let out a huff, clearly not too happy with what Dean had to say. She glanced back at me for a second before following him. We walked a bit more, passing by a grate on the wall down near the floor. Suddenly, Jo let out a loud gasp, looking down to her feet.

"What?" I asked, looking down to see nothing there.

"I'm not sure." Jo replied.

"You smell that?" Dean asked, looking over at me.

"What is that, a gas leak?" Jo asked, sniffing the air around us.

"No. It's something else."

"I know it, I just can't put my finger on it." I said. Jo couched down in front of the grating, moving her EMF meter in front of it. As soon as she did that, it started humming loudly.

"Mazel Tov. You just found your first spirit." Dean said.

"It's inside the vent." Jo murmured, trying to see inside the dark vent. I bent down, holding the flashlight towards it as Dean took out a screwdriver and unscrewed the grating pulling it off the wall.

"There's something in there." Dean muttered, reaching his hand inside the vent, feeling around a moment before pulling out a clump of blonde hair still attached to a piece of scalp. My mouth dropped open at the sight, and I grimaced at the hair in his hand. Jo let out a small groan, a disgusted look on her face.

"Somebody's keeping souvenirs." Dean commented.

* * *

 **APARTMENT – DAY**

We came back to the apartment, finding Sam on the couch reading a huge book. When he heard us, he sat up slightly, silently asking for what we found.

"You don't wanna know." Dean mumbled, going right over to the sink to wash his hands.

"Want some hand sanitizer?" I asked, a small smile on my face.

"Please." Dean called. I shook my head, pulling a small bottle of hand sanitizer out of my bag, putting some in his open hands when he came back out.

"There was a huge chunk of hair in one of the vents." I explained to Sam. "Still attached to...well, you know-"

"Oh." Sam muttered, a grimace on his face.

"Yeah." I nodded, leaning back against the counter. Jo pulled out her laptop, sitting down in front of it as she sorted through some papers. "You know it's getting late. I think we better get some rest."

"Probably." Sam agreed, laying back down on the couch.

"Hey, don't stay up too late." Dean muttered, tapping her lightly on the shoulder as we passed.

"Sure thing, _Mom_." Jo retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Hope that chair will be comfortable enough for you." I muttered to Jo, throwing her a small smile as Dean and I went into the bedroom. I closed the door behind me, taking a breath as I leaned against it. Dean placed his hands on my hips, squeezing lightly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." I muttered, running my hands up his arms.

"You know, I could help you out with all that stress." Dean smirked.

"Oh, I know." I nodded, smiling up at him. "I just- We should probably just get some sleep. I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be." Dean muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Just try and relax, okay? You haven't really been yourself lately."

"I know. She's just so-"

"No, no. I don't mean just today. I mean...for a while now." Dean said, taking my hand in his. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

My thoughts started rushing through my head a mile a minute and I bit my lip, glancing down to the floor. Is now the right time?

No, of course it's not.

Then again, that's what I always say. It's never gonna be the right time, is it?

"Um, no." I muttered sheepishly, looking back up. "There's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"Okay." Dean murmured, a concerned look in his eyes that I definitely did not deserve.

But by the way he acted, the way he moved as he laid down on the bed staring up at the ceiling, I knew that he knew something _was_ going on with me. He didn't believe for a second that there was nothing I had to say. With a heavy sigh, I slipped my jacket off, following him over to the bed.

A few moments of silence passed between us as we both laid there, staring up at the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the few times Dean was about to speak before stopping himself.

"Can I ask a question?" I asked, glancing over at him.

"Yeah?"

"Did you really mean what you said before? About wishing you could do something else."

"Yeah, kinda." Dean nodded, looking over at me. "I do, actually."

"You don't want to- to do this anymore?" I asked, not trying to hide the shock in my voice.

"I don't know. After everything- I don't know anymore." Dean shrugged, leaning on his elbow to face me. "But we can't stop."

"We can't?"

"No. We have to finish what Dad started."

"Do you think we even could?" I asked timidly, trying to hide the emotions I bubbling up inside of me.

Dean paused for a moment, a nervous look coming into his eyes. "I sure as hell hope so."

"Me too..." I muttered, letting some of my anxiety show. I knew he was right. I just hoped we were strong enough to actually finish what John had started. For him, for Mary. For the all other people and families that demon hurt and destroyed.

Dean nodded, avoiding my gaze for a moment before leaning in to place a kiss on my lips, laying back down. "Night."

"Night..." I murmured, watching him as he closed his eyes. I reached back, turning off the lamp on the nightstand before lying next to Dean, placing my head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around me.

* * *

My eyes snapped open as my heart pounded heavily in my chest. I took a deep breath, blinking a few times before looking over to see Dean sound asleep next to me, his arm draped over my stomach.

I had no idea what caused me to wake up so abruptly, having absolutely no memories of any dreams or nightmares. I wanted to wake Dean up and tell him, but it seemed a little pointless to bother him with something like this, considering I didn't even know what happened.

Letting out a shaky breath, I slowly started wiggling out of Dean's grasp to head out to the kitchen. I tip-toed quietly out of the room, trying to keep it down so I didn't wake anybody up.

Just as I stepped into the kitchen, I jumped back in surprise when I saw Jo sitting over the blueprints at the table, staring down at them intently with a flashlight. I leaned against the door frame, clearing my throat lightly to get her attention. She glanced up at me for a moment, seeming uninterested, before going back to the notes in front of her.

"Have you slept at all?" I asked, going over to her.

"No."

"One of the rules when you're a hunter, if you can sleep, do it. You don't always get a lot of time for that."

"Well..." Jo shrugged, picking up her knife to start flipping it around again.

"Sorry I bothered you." I mumbled, going over to get a bottle of water before heading back to the bedroom.

"Hey, Tori?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

"I just wanted to...you know...uh...apologize."

"...for what?" I asked, taking a few steps back towards her.

"Some of the stuff I've done. I was being kinda stupid, I know that." Jo shrugged, looking down for a moment. I watched her closely, hearing Sam's voice echoing through my head, telling me to _give her a chance_.

"Yeah, okay." I nodded, leaning down on the table.

"Okay? That's it?"

"What else do you want?"

"Nothing." Jo mumbled, looking back down. I blew out a breath of air, shaking my head.

"I guess that uh- well, I'm sorry, too."

"Oh, really?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow. "For what?"

"I guess I've been pretty childish lately. You pushed me into it, but still." I said as she rolled her eyes. "Just...stop flirting with my boyfriend, alright? I mean, certain things I can handle, but-"

"Yeah...I- I just- I'm not always that great with people, if you couldn't tell."

"Really?" I chuckled. "I had no idea."

"Very funny." Jo murmured, glancing up at me, still flipping her knife around. "But you have to understand why I couldn't help myself...I mean, Dean is pretty hot."

"He is." I nodded, laughing lightly. "Don't ever say that again."

"Sure." Jo nodded quickly, looking down. "Hey, if there's anything you could take from this, it's that, you know, he wouldn't bite. Like, ever."

"Oh, no..." I smirked. "He bites."

"Okay, well, not what I meant." Jo laughed, shaking her head. "Hey, maybe we- I mean, maybe we can start over?"

"Uh, yeah." I nodded, letting out a small breath. Did we really have time to hold grudges? "I can do that."

"Good." Jo, for once, smiled a sincere smile at me and I returned it, shaking her outstretched hand.

"Good."

"You know, I don't know about you, but I don't have too many real friends out there." Jo admitted cautiously.

"Me either." I shrugged. "Hunting is a pretty lonely life."

"I guess."

"You sure you want that, Jo? I mean, really?"

"I can't do anything else."

"That's not true."

"Could you?" Jo asked. "Honestly, could you do anything else?"

"I- I don't know." I muttered, glancing down as I thought back to mine and Dean's conversation. "Probably not. Not now."

"See?"

"But I've been doing this for years. I was forced into it, I had no other choice. But you, you still have a chance." I said. "Don't take this as me trying to stop you from doing what you want, but what Dean said before, it's true. I'm not too sure why someone would _choose_ to do this unless circumstances made them."

"Right." Jo muttered, flipping her knife around again. As she did so, I saw the initials W. A. H. on the blade. Jo caught me eying it and stopped, running a finger over the carved out letters. "William Anthony Harvelle."

I nodded, realization coming over me. "It's nice, you know, that you have that."

"Yeah..." Jo muttered, looking up at me. "Do you have anything from your parents?"

"I have this, um, necklace-" I said quietly, pulling the medium length silver chain out of my shirt to show her the small, cream and amber multicolored stone. "It was from my mother."

I felt a small tear prickle at my eye as I held it in my hand, thinking back to the day Rose first gave me the necklace, telling me it was from my real mother.

Though at that time, I was too young to really care about wearing jewelery, wanting more to go run around and play in the mud. But when I got older, I found it again. It held a new meaning to me when Rose explained that my mother wanted me to have it to remember her by. That was all she had told me, even when I pressed for more answers, she always refused to say more.

So, stupid as it may seem, I started wearing it to feel at least a little closer to the woman who gave me life. And strangely enough, I found that it helped me. Calming me whenever I'd run my fingers over it or hold it in my palm.

Maybe not all that much lately, but the overwhelming stress was hard to stomp down no matter what. It still felt nice to have it.

"It's pretty." Jo said, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah." I sighed, letting out a small breath of air as I glanced back to Sam, who was out of it on the couch, in a very uncomfortable looking position. "So, you gonna pack up and sleep or what?"

"No."

"Jo-"

"Listen, I have my reasons."

"Fine." I sighed, sitting down at the table.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll be your study-buddy for the night."

"Why?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have my reasons." I muttered, quickly pulling a few papers in front of me. I needed to do something before my mind started to remember whatever the hell it was that woke me up in a puddle of sweat only a few minutes ago.

But I wasn't about to tell her that.

* * *

We spent the rest of the night going through old blueprints, notes and books Sam had gotten from the library. It was actually helping me forget the usual guilt weighting down on me. I didn't even realize what time it was until the sun started shining through the windows. I glanced up at Jo through half-closed eyes, the two of us staring at each other for a moment before looking back to the beam of sunlight shining over at us through the large window across the room.

"Holy crap." Jo mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"When did that happen?" I asked, squinting my eyes in the light as Dean stumbled tiredly out of the bedroom, his eyes going wide when he saw Jo and I sitting together.

"What happened?" Dean asked, quickly waking up. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Dean. Calm down." I said, standing to my feet.

"Have you slept at all?"

"See?" I mumbled, glancing back at Jo, who chuckled when she realized I meant what I said about hunters and their sleep.

"What'd I miss?" Dean asked.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." I said, patting his chest as I moved over to Sam, slapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, why don't you go get some coffee?"

"Wha-" Sam mumbled, sitting up.

"Coffee."

"Oh, yeah. Good idea. Where is it?"

"You have to get it." I smiled, pulling him off the couch.

"Oh, okay." Sam nodded, heading into the bathroom for a minute before coming back out, looking wide awake. "See you in a bit."

"So what have you two done all night?" Dean asked, shooting me a smirk as he leaned on the table.

"Nothing even remotely close to what you're hoping for, Dean-o." Jo mumbled.

"I was not-"

"No one's gonna believe that." I muttered, smiling at him as I reached up to place a kiss on his cheek.

Dean playfully rolled his eyes, sliding in the chair across from Jo. "Really, what did you do?"

"Talked a little. Got some things figured out." Jo told him.

"Then we started going over everything." I added.

"Alright." Dean nodded, looking a little confused. "And you two didn't kill each other? Didn't even try?"

"No, Dean."

"Wow. That- that's good I guess."

A few moments passed when Dean leaned back, staring at Jo's hand as she twirled around her knife again. Dean grabbed the bag laying on the floor beside the table, placing it on top as he sifted through it. He pulled out a Bowie knife, handing it over to her.

"Here."

"What's this for?" Jo asked, glancing up at him.

"Work a hell of a lot better than that little pig-sticker you're twirling around." Dean commented.

"Dean." I muttered, shaking my head at him.

"It's my father's." Jo said, raising an eyebrow as she showed Dean the engraved initials on the blade.

"I'm sorry. My mistake." Dean said, placing the knife back in the bag.

"Hey, um, what do you- what do you remember about your dad? I mean, what's the first thing that pops into your head?" Jo asked Dean, who just shook his head. "Come on, tell me."

"Uh, I was six or seven, and uh, he took me shooting for the first time. You know, balls on a fence, that kind of thing. I bulls-eyed every one of them. He gave me this smile, like...I don't know." Dean shrugged, trying to hide the small smile on his face.

"He must have been proud." Jo nodded.

I smiled over at Dean, placing my hands on his shoulders. "He was."

"What?" Dean asked, glancing back at me.

"John told me that story a couple times. He was really proud of you, I could tell."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I nodded, bending down to place a gentle kiss on his lips. As I stood back up, Jo rolled her eyes, letting out a small gagging noise. "Shut up."

"Whatever." Jo mumbled, throwing me an amused glance.

"What about your Dad?" Dean asked, trying to take the focus off of himself. God forbid someone was proud of him.

"I was still in pigtails when my dad died. But I do remember him coming home from a hunt. He'd burst through that door like- like Steve McQueen or something." Jo smiled, her eyes drifting off as she remembered. "And he'd sweep me up in his arms, and I'd breathe in that old leather jacket of his...and my mom, who was sour and pissed from the minute he left, she started smiling again. And we were- we were a family."

"That's why I need to do this, for him." Jo continued, tears forming in her brown eyes. "It's my way of being close to him. Now tell me what's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Dean replied as Sam suddenly burst through the door, his eyes wide. "Where's the coffee?"

"There are cops outside." Sam muttered quickly. "Another girl disappeared."

"Another one?" I asked, sharing a nervous look with Dean.

"Yeah."

"We gotta get to work, then." Dean said, standing up and heading to the door. "Come on, Sam."

"Where are we going?" Sam asked, turning to his brother.

"We're gonna find out about this girl, let's go."

Sam nervously glanced back at me, then Jo, leaning towards Dean like her and I could hear from three feet away. "Are we really gonna leave them alone."

Dean rolled his eyes, letting out a huff. "Yeah, Sam."

"What happened?"

"We talked." Jo said simply.

"And that's it?" Sam asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at me.

"We're fine, Sam." I nodded. "Just go."

"Come on!" Dean exclaimed, dragging his brother out of the apartment. I let out a small laugh, going back to helping Jo sift through the papers. We moved a little more urgently than before, seemingly running out of time.

* * *

A short while later, Sam and Dean returned with more information about the most recent disappearance, and just like the others, it didn't give us a lot to work with.

"Teresa Ellis, Apartment 2F. Boyfriend reported her missing around dawn." Dean said, throwing his jacket on the back of the couch.

"And her apartment?" Jo asked.

"Cracks all over the plaster, walls, ceiling. There was ectoplasm, too."

"Between that, and that tuft of hair, I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls." Sam said.

"But who is it? Building's history is totally clean."

"Well, maybe we're looking in the wrong place." I said, picking up an old picture, Jo glanced down at it for a moment before picking up her phone, heading into the bedroom.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, walking over to me.

"Look at this."

"An empty field?" Sam asked, sitting across from me.

"It's where this building was built." I told him, pointing to the picture. "Now, take a look at the one next door. The windows."

"Bars."

"We're next door to a prison?" Dean asked.

"Thanks, Ash. And if you breathe a word of this to my mom...that's right. I will. With pliers." Jo threatened, coming back into the room as she snapped her phone shut. "Okay. Moyamensing prison. Built in eighteen-thirty-five, torn down in nineteen-sixty-three. And get this, they used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door."

"Then, we need a list." Sam said. "All the people executed there."

"Ash is already on it." Jo muttered. "What now?"

"Well, we have to wait on Ash."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

* * *

Not too long after that, Jo got an email from Ash sending her the list she requested. The four of us huddled around the laptop, scrolling through the list that seemed to go on forever and ever.

"A hundred fifty seven names?" Sam asked, glancing over at his brother.

"We've gotta narrow that down." Dean said.

"Yeah."

"Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs."

Sam scrolled down a bit more, pausing on the name Herman Webster Mudgett, a frown on his face. "Herman Webster Mudgett?"

"Yeah?" Jo asked.

"Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?"

"Yeah, I think so." I said.

Dean took the laptop from Sam, typing quickly on the keyboard. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"What?"

"Holmes was executed at Moyamensing, May seventh, eighteen-ninety-six." He read.

"H. H. Holmes himself." I muttered, letting out a breath of air.

"Come on, I mean, what are the odds?" Sam asked.

"Who is this guy?" Jo asked, looking between the three of us.

"The term _multi-murderer_ , they coined it to describe Holmes." I told her.

"He was America's first serial killer before anybody knew what a serial killer was." Dean added.

"Yeah, he confessed to twenty seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred." Sam said.

"And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty, petite blondes. He, uh- he used chloroform to kill them." Dean said, glancing over at me as realization covered his features. "Which is what we smelled in the hallway last night."

"Oh, yeah." I mumbled, remembering that potent smell.

"At his place, cops found human remains, bone fragments, and long locks of bloody blonde hair." Dean said, looking over at Jo. "Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em."

"Well, we just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" Jo asked, her eyes darting between the three of us.

"Well, it's not that easy this time." I said. "His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete."

"What? Why?"

"The story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse. 'Cause, you know, that's what he used to do." Dean said, a small grimace on his face.

"You know something, we might have an even bigger problem than that." Sam muttered.

"How does this get bigger?" Jo asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory, it had, trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits...he built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death."

"So Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside these walls." Jo said, quickly standing to her feet.

"We need sledgehammers, crowbars." Dean said, following her. "We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl."

* * *

 **BUILDING WALLS – DAY**

After making a plan and figuring out just where to go, Jo and I were currently squeezing through the small gap in the walls, searching for anything weird.

"Okay. Call us after you check the southeast wall." I muttered into the phone.

" _You sure you two are alright?_ " Dean asked for the millionth time.

"Yes, Dean. We're fine." I told him...again.

"Okay."

"Alright, see you in a bit." I said, hanging up. "Sam and Dean are almost done with the first floor. They haven't found anything either."

"Okay." Jo muttered, moving a few steps forward as I shoved the phone in my pocket.

"Maybe we should head back out. There doesn't seem to be anything in here."

"Look." Jo called, pointing to an air duct. "I'm gonna go."

"No, you are not." I said, grabbing her arm. "No."

"I can do it."

"Jo, if I let you die, your Mother is gonna kill me!" I exclaimed quietly. "We should stay up here. Both of us."

"Look, we've gotta find this girl, don't we? I'll be fine." Jo said, taking a deep breath as she shook her arm from my grasp. In the tight space, I couldn't move fast enough to pull her back, watching as she descended down the ladder in the duct.

"Oh my god, Jo." I muttered, following to look down after her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" She called, her voice echoing.

"What can you see?"

"Nothing yet." Jo murmured, letting out a grunt as I heard her feet hit solid ground. "Oh god."

"Jo?" I asked, feeling my heart drop when I didn't get answer. "Jo!"

Suddenly, I heard her blood curdling scream and I jumped back from the vent, quickly dialing Dean's number as my hands shook.

" _Hello?_ " Dean muttered, answering on the first ring.

"Dean!"

" _What is it?_ " Dean asked, hearing the panic in my voice.

"Jo! It's Jo!"

" _What happened?_ "

"I think he- he took her!"

" _He took her?_ " Dean repeated, his voice full of shock.

"Yes."

" _Okay, okay._ " Dean mumbled quickly, saying something to Sam before returning to the phone just as I was about to place my foot on the top rung of the ladder. " _Alright, Tori, whatever you do – don't go down there._ "

"Uh..."

"D _o not go down that ladder._ "

"I'm not his type."

" _Dammit, Tori._ " Dean huffed, letting out a nervous breath. " _Please, we need you up here. If you get lost down there, it'll make it ten times worse for all of us._ "

"But-"

" _Please._ "

I thought for a moment, weighting my options. On, one hand – I just wanted to go find her. And on the other, I knew Dean was right. I was no good to anyone if I got lost, and I had no real idea where I was going, anyway.

So, with a heavy sigh, I got off the ladder, making my way back through the narrow wall. "I'm coming."

" _Good_." Dean said, his voice relived. " _Good. Meet us at the apartment._ "

"Okay." I nodded, hanging up the phone. I glanced behind me once more at the empty space behind me before leaving.

My mind was racing as I moved back to the hallway, feeling the same guilt pour through my chest, leaving a heavy weight on me.

How could I let this happen? What was wrong with me lately?

* * *

As soon as I got back to the apartment, Sam and Dean were already there going over everything. Dean was in full on rescue mode, looking me over quickly as I entered just to make sure I wasn't hurt in any way before going back to the blueprints and papers on the table in front of him.

"I never should have let her go." I mumbled, tears springing to my eyes. "I can't believe I did this." Again, with someone else. I should have be stronger. I should have stopped her.

"You didn't do anything." Sam said reassuringly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I almost wanted to shrug it off, tell him I wasn't good enough for him to try and comfort me. But I didn't. I kept my mouth shut. "We're gonna find her, alright?"

"Where?"

"Inside the walls." Sam said confidently. Dean stopped what he was doing for a moment, looking up at his brother with a wary expression.

"We've been inside the walls all night, Sam." I said. "None of the other girls were there and she won't be either."

"Look, we've just gotta take a beat and think about this. Maybe we got Holmes' M.O. wrong."

"Yeah, well, we'd better fucking think fast." Dean muttered quickly, placing another blueprint on the table. Just then, Sam's phone started to ring, and the three of us stared down at it for a moment before Dean let out a huff and answered it.

"Hello?"

" _Now Sam won't answer his own phone?_ " Ellen asked. " _You lied to me. She's there._ "

"Ellen."

" _No. Ash told me everything. Man's a genius, but he folds like a cheap suit. Now you put my damn daughter on the phone._ "

"She's gonna have to call you back, she's taking care of, uh...feminine business." Dean scrambled. I shook my head, plucking the phone from his hand as Ellen demanded to know where her daughter was.

"Ellen?"

" _Where is she?_ "

"Ellen, listen we- we'll get her back."

" _Get her back?! Back from what?_ "

"The- the spirit we're hunting, it took her." I told her honestly, my voice quiet.

" _Oh my god._ "

"She'll be okay, I promise. I- we won't let anything happen."

" _That is not the first time I've heard that from a Winchester."_ Ellen spat.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

" _If anything happens to her-_ "

"Ellen, it won't." I said. "But I'm sorry, I-"

" _I'm taking the first flight out. I'll be there in a few hours._ " Ellen said, hanging up.

"Shit." I hissed, running a hand through my hair.

"Don't beat yourself up, Tori. There's nothing you could have done." Sam said. I let out a sarcastic huff, shaking my head.

"Ellen is gonna fly out." I told them.

"No, she won't." Dean said, shaking his head. "It's just a threat."

"Just please, tell me you guys have something."

"Uh, maybe. Look, if you look at the layout of the Holmes murder castle, there's all the torture chambers inside the walls, right?"

"Yeah."

"But there's one we haven't considered yet. The one in this basement."

"This building doesn't have a basement." Dean said.

"You're right, it doesn't. But I just noticed this. Beneath the foundation, it looks like part of an old sewer system that hasn't been used for-"

"Let's go." I said, quickly leaving the apartment.

There was nothing I wouldn't try to do right now to get her back, knowing deep down I had other motives behind this than just wanting her to return safely. There was definitely another reason behind this, whether I wanted to let myself believe it or not.

It was like some part of me thought this would help. As if saving her would diminish some of my guilt when it came to what happened with John.

But I knew, that would never happen. It just couldn't. Either way, we needed to get to her – and fast.

* * *

I followed behind Sam and Dean, both of them carrying a metal detector and a shovel, respectively. I held the strap on the bag hanging over my shoulder, trying to calm my erratic breathing before they noticed as more guilt flooded through me.

Someone else could be hurt because of me. Someone else could die because of me. Because I couldn't stop John, and now I couldn't stop Jo, either…

Sam's metal detector started beeping once we entered an open field and we followed the trail to the center of it where the metal detector whined loudly.

"Here."

Dean started digging and I dropped the bag, pulling out another shovel of my own to dig with. After a little while, I stared to feel the panic set deep in my chest as my mind wandered more and more. With every push of the shovel into the dirt, my anxiety got more and more pronounced.

Suddenly, I dropped to my knees, frantically digging through the dirt with my hands. I felt Dean's hands on my shoulders as my chest heaved. The tears started streaming down my face as I couldn't seem to control the words that came out of my mouth anymore.

"Tori-"

"I'm sorry." I murmured, staring down at the dirt as Dean stilled my hands.

"It's okay, we're gonna find-"

"No!" I cried, shaking my head. "You don't understand."

"What is it?" Dean asked, kneeling down in front of me. "Tori, what?"

"I did the same fucking thing..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I let Jo go, I let John-" I stopped, my eyes going wide as I realized what I was about to say.

"What?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed.

"Dad?" Sam asked. "What about him?"

"N- nothing." I stumbled, shaking my head quickly as I scrambled to try and get away from what I'd just said. "We have to get to Jo-"

"Wait." Dean said, his voice harder this time as he stopped my hands again.

"Dean-"

"What were you talking about?" Dean asked. I felt the tears spring to my eyes as I started up at him, shaking my head as the tears fell down my cheeks. "Tori, come on. Tell me."

"You're gonna be mad." I whispered, suddenly feeling like a small child.

The time had finally come. I had to face this. I slipped up and this was happening. Maybe not how I would have liked it, but still, it was happening. And let's face it, if I wasn't forced, I don't know if I ever would have said anything. I have to own up to what I'd done, no matter what the consequences were. It wasn't fair to keep this from them anymore.

"Just tell me." Dean said adamantly, his hands still on mine. I took in a deep breath, trying to stomp down all the emotions building up inside of me and control the anxiety threatening to take over.

"Um, back at the- the hospital. John..." I paused, sniffling as tears came to my eyes. "I knew." I whispered, looking down.

"You knew what?" Sam asked.

"He told me." I stuttered.

"Told you what?" Dean asked, freezing – almost as though he knew what was coming.

"About what he was going to do..." I admitted. "About making the deal...with the- the demon."

Dean immediately took his hands off mine, leaning backwards. I felt my stomach drop as he did so, glancing up through tear filled eyes to see confusion and anger covering his features.

"W- what?" Sam asked, his eyes going wide.

"He- he told me he was going to trade the Colt for- for you." I said to Dean, the tears flowing freely now as they both stared at me in shock, though Dean still looked more upset than Sam. A small silence fell over us then, the two of them staring down at me in complete disbelief.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed. "I mean, right after...you could've-"

"I know, but- but John told me not to. He told me to not say anything." I told him. "Just in case _he_ was watching. I don't even know why he told me, I don't- I don't-"

"No, no." Dean muttered, shaking his head. "That's impossible. You- you would've stopped him if you knew."

"I tried, but he- he-" I paused, sniffling lightly. "Dean, the thought of you not coming back, it-"

"So you _let_ him go and- and die for me?"

"I- I didn't know that was going to happen. I swear, I had no idea! I thought the Colt would be enough!" I cried, my eyes darting between the two in front of me. "I'm sorry-"

" _Sorry_?" Dean spat, narrowing his eyes at me as he stood to his feet, not looking at me. "You should have done something!"

"I know." I muttered, looking down. "But, if I did, you- you wouldn't be here, Dean, you'd be- you'd be...gone."

"Maybe that's how it was supposed to be!" Dean shouted, making me flinch back a little at the sudden volume of his voice. I glanced up at Sam to see him not looking at me anymore, but instead staring at his brother in shock at what he'd just said.

"Please, don't say that." I murmured, tears still streaming down my cheeks as I looked up at Dean, seeing tears forming in his eyes before he looked away.

"How much longer were you gonna go without telling us?"

"Not long..." I mumbled, not even convincing myself. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do-"

"Don't." Dean snapped, taking a deep breath before grabbing the shovel, starting to dig through the dirt again with a scowl on his face. "Come on, we have to get Jo out of there before something happens to her."

I nodded silently, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes for a moment before I started digging again, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in my chest.

Not soon after, we uncovered a metal trap door, which both of them pulled open. Dean handed Sam a shotgun, before taking a gun for himself, along with a flashlight. Sam shot me a strange look before going down after Dean.

I watched them go for a moment with wet eyes, taking a deep breath before moving to pick up a gun. I noticed how badly my hand was shaking and decide to close the bag and leave the gun up here instead, making my way down the ladder with an extra flashlight.

* * *

We'd were crawling through the dry sewer for a little bit before finding a big opening, finally able to stand up. I looked up to see the spirit of an old man crouching down in front of a wooden casket, his arm inside of it. My eyes widened and I heard a gunshot, looking over to see Dean aiming his shotgun where the spirit had been, only it was gone now.

"Jo?!" I called, walking in between the long line of caskets.

"I'm here!" Jo answered, her voice muffled.

Though every other emotion I was feeling, relief came to the forefront when I heard her voice. I quickly ran in the direction it came from, trying to find her. Dean grabbed an iron bar leaning against the wall, moving over to Jo's casket after I'd found it to pry it open. I glanced behind me to see Sam going through other caskets, eventually finding Teresa.

"We're gonna get you out of here, alright?"

"Sam." Dean called, throwing Sam the iron bar. Sam caught it, moving to open the casket next to him.

Eventually, Dean opened the lid on Jo's casket and I helped her to her feet, gripping her cold hands tightly in mine. "You alright?"

"Been better." Jo shrugged. "Let's get the hell out of here before he comes back."

"Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet." Sam muttered.

"What?" I asked, staring up at him in shock. "We're not actually gonna go through with your _backup plan_ are we?"

Sam just shrugged, lightly rubbing Teresa's shoulders to warm her as she shook.

"You being bait's kind of the only plan we've got." Dean shrugged, ignoring me as he looked back to Jo.

She glanced over at me, quickly looking back to Dean. "You're kidding."

"Not really." Dean said, watching Jo as she sat on top of the coffin with a huff.

"Dean, we can't do that." I said, following after him as he took a few steps back towards Sam, who still had a shaking Teresa in his arms.

"Well, we are." Dean snapped, a small pang of sadness in his eyes as he glanced back at me before looking away again.

"...but-"

"What else are we supposed to do?"

"I- fine." I nodded, glancing down to the ground as Dean started to move over to Same. I shot an apologetic look to Jo, who gave me a questioning one in return.

I trailed behind Dean, listening to him and Sam's conversion. I felt as though I wasn't really being involved all that much, but I knew this would happen. They didn't trust me. I couldn't blame them. I couldn't say that I expected anything else.

Instead, I prayed to whoever might be listening that Jo would make it out okay and went along with their plan, standing silently as they went through everything.

* * *

Right now, the only thing they seemed to trust me with doing was keeping Jo company as they set up the bags of salt around the chamber in the sewer after Sam got Teresa out of here.

Jo kept looking between us, noticing the very obvious change in all of us in the small amount of time we were apart. After Sam tied the last rope, securing the salt bags, he left the chamber and Jo went into the middle of it, taking a deep breath. I followed her in, helping her sit as she shook.

"I have never hated being a blonde." Jo mumbled, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"You're gonna be okay." I promised her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah." Jo nodded quickly, her lip starting to tremble.

I glanced back at Dean, who was waiting in the opening, before looking back to Jo, crouching down in front of her. "Jo, you don't have to do this."

"I need to." Jo said, staring up at me for a moment, a determination in her eyes.

"O- okay." I nodded, standing up. "We're gonna be right here."

Jo nodded back as I made my way over to Dean, kneeling down next to him. We watched as minutes passed and nothing happened, when suddenly Holmes appeared behind her. My eyes went wide as I watched him walk towards her. Dean, readied his rifle as Holmes got closer, and just as he was about to touch Jo, Dean yelled for her to move.

"Now!"

Jo dove forward as Dean shot at the ropes surrounding the chamber. Several bags fell open, spilling salt around Holmes in a perfect circle. I quickly pulled Jo towards me as she breathed heavily, glancing back into the chamber. Holmes turned in a small circle, screaming loudly in fear.

"Scream all you want, you dick! There's no way you're stepping over that salt!" Jo yelled out as Sam dropped the grate shut from above us, sealing off the room.

* * *

 **STREET – DAY**

Jo stayed in between Sam and I as we stood around the entrance to the sewers, the three of us looking down into the dark hole.

"So, is this job as glamorous as you thought it would be?" Sam asked, glancing over at her.

"Well, except for all the pee-your-pants terror, yeah, sure. But that Teresa girl's gonna live a life because of us. It's worth it, isn't it?" Jo asked, looking over at me.

"Yeah." I nodded, letting out a sad sounding sigh. "Yeah it is."

"So, what the hell happened to you guys? Who died?" Jo asked jokingly, glancing between Sam and I.

Sam just shook his head, a grimace on his face as he looked away.

"O...kay." Jo mumbled, taking in a deep breath. "Tough crowd."

"Really bad timing." I murmured, folding my arms.

"Okay." Jo sighed. "Well, what if somebody finds that sewer down there, or a storm washes the salt away?"

"Both very fine points. Which is why we're waiting here." Sam muttered a small grin appearing on his face.

"For what?" Jo asked. The loud beeping sound caught our attention and we turned to see Dean backing a cement mixer into the field.

"For that." Sam answered, waving for Dean to stop the truck. Dean jumped out of the cab and he and Sam set the spout of the mixer right of the entrance of the sewer.

"Wait, you ripped off a cement truck?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow at Dean.

"I'll give it back." Dean shrugged, looking down into the sewer as the cement poured in. "Well, that oughta keep him down there 'til hell freezes over."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean glance down at me, a strange look appearing on his face for a split second before he went back to watching the cement being poured into the drain.

* * *

 **HIGHWAY – NIGHT**

We found out later that day that Ellen Harvelle was not a liar. And when she said she was going to do something...well, apparently, she meant it.

Now I sat in the backseat of the Impala next to Jo, behind Dean, who was careful to not look at Ellen in the passenger seat next to him. Sam sat straight, looking out the window, as if he was afraid to do anything else. I glanced over at Jo, her eye's quickly darting between Dean and her mother.

I almost felt like I couldn't breathe with all the tension in the here.

"Boy, you- you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Dean joked nervously, his voice shaking slightly. Ellen sat still, not giving any reaction whatsoever to what he had said.

"How about we listen to some music?" Dean asked, reaching to turn on the radio. I grimaced as the worst possible song started playing loudly through the speakers.

" _You're as cold as ice-_ "

Ellen quickly reached forward, flicking the radio off before shooting Dean a look. Dean glanced back at his brother, taking in a deep breath before sighing as he turned back to the road in front of him.

"This is gonna be a long drive."

Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that was the worst car ride of my life.

* * *

 **ROADHOUSE – DAY**

Ellen jumped out of the Impala before it'd had even done a full stop in front of the roadhouse, standing at the backdoor until Sam got out, letting Jo out after him. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Ellen grabbed her elbow and started dragging her inside.

"Listen...this is my fault. Okay?" I apologized, walking after her. After putting it off for so long, apparently now all I could _do_ was say I was sorry. "I let Jo go. I- I'm sorry."

"You couldn't have stopped me." Jo said, shrugging slightly. "You tried. What else were you supposed to do?"

"I- I don't know." I replied quietly. How else _could_ I have stopped her?

"Ellen, we lied to you and I'm sorry. But Jo did good out there, I think her dad would be proud." Dean said, taking a step forward.

"Don't you dare say that. Not you." Ellen spat, her voice hard. "Now, I need a moment with my daughter. Alone."

The three of us nodded, heading back to the car. I lagged behind Sam and Dean as they moved over to the Impala, giving them their space. I already couldn't stand the distance between us.

"You don't think she's gonna be too hard on her, right?" Sam asked, glancing down at his brother.

"I have no idea." Dean shrugged, leaning against the car.

A few moments later Jo came storming out of the roadhouse, heading past us. Dean watched her for a second before following after her. I went with him, still keeping a small gap though.

"That bad, huh?" Dean asked.

"Not right now." Jo spat.

"What happened?" I asked, following her after Dean stopped a few feet behind. "Jo, tell me."

"Get away from me!" Jo exclaimed, whipping around to face me. I raised an eyebrow, taking a small step back from her.

"Okay, sorry. See you." I turned, walking a little ways away before Jo started talking again.

"It turns out my dad had a partner on his last hunt. Funny, he usually worked alone. This guy did, too. But I guess my father figured he could trust him." Jo paused, a sour look on her face. "Mistake. This guy, he screwed up and got my dad killed."

"I don't understand."

"That guy was your father." Jo said to Dean and Sam, tears in her eyes as the three of us stared at her in shock.

"What?" Dean asked, his voice confused.

"Yeah." Jo mumbled. "Why do you think John never came back here? Never told you about us? Because he couldn't stand what happened. He couldn't look my mom in the eye after that, that's why."

"Jo, I- I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Just get out of here." Jo said, closing her eyes. "Please, just leave."

"Okay." I nodded, watching Jo as she started walking down the road, her arms folded. I turned back to the boys, seeing them each looking off in different directions. Whether they were thinking about what Jo had just said, or avoiding me, I couldn't tell.

Either way, things _had_ changed. And I had to take responsibility.

I wrapped my arms tight around myself, sniffling slightly as my emotions threatened to break through. I blinked away the tears, trying to hold it all in as much as I could, keeping it to myself. I certainly didn't want to break down here, right in front of them. Not now.

A few moments passed in silence as I kicked the ground with the toe of my boot, still trying to fight away the tears before looking up to Sam and Dean. "Guys-"

"What?" Dean asked, his voice strained.

"I just- I'm sorry. I know that's not good enough, and I know there's nothing else I could say to- to make it better." I murmured, taking a deep breath as I looked up to Dean.

"You lied to me- to- to us." Dean murmured, his voice low. I heard a small break in his voice as he swallowed hard.

Out of it all, I knew that was the thing that bothered him most. We'd always promised to never keep anything from each other. No secrets, no lies. That's one of the reasons our relationship was so strong.

"I-" I started, closing my eyes for a moment as I took a deep, shaky breath. "I know. I'm sorry. I should have said something sooner, I know that. I just- I didn't know what to do and- Dean, all I wanted was for you to be okay. I swear, I had no idea...I mean you- you have know that I didn't want anything to happen to John. I- I didn't know."

They couldn't possibly think I wanted something to happen to him, could they?

I quickly wiped away a few stray tears that had found their way out of my eyes, timidly glancing up at the boys as they stood silently in front of me.

When they didn't speak, I decided to continue, suggesting something that had been on my mind for a while now. "I think I should go to Bobby's."

"What?" Dean asked, his voice full of shock as his eyes suddenly snapped up to mine.

"I just- I mean, after what happened...I just figured you two would want me out of your hair for a while..." I mumbled, realizing that it came out a lot more like a question than I'd really wanted.

A few agonizing seconds passed, feeling like an eternity as Dean stared into the empty field behind me. I watched closely as he glanced back at Sam, who just looked back to the ground.

"Just...come on." Dean muttered quickly, glancing at me for a split second.

"What?" I asked, my voice full of surprise.

"Get in." He said, turning to slide into the driver seat. Sam shot me a questioning look from the passenger side of the car as just I stood there, a stunned expression on my face.

The part of me that actually thought they were going to tell me to go was in complete shock. Though honestly, that part was very small – mostly because I didn't want to allow myself to think about that possibility – it was still there, weighing heavily in the back of my mind.

And now, I couldn't help but feel just a little bit of hope. A little relief – like some of that weight was taken off.

I took in a small breath, silently sliding into the backseat as Sam got into the passenger side. Almost immediately, Dean turned on the radio, letting it drown out the silence in the car.

Knowing there was nothing left for me to do, I stayed quiet for the rest of the drive, letting my mind wander.

Eventually I thought back to what Jo had told us before. It was honestly a huge shock. I knew that even though John was a good hunter, he had his moments. I just didn't think any of those moments involved getting someone he called a friend killed.

I wondered if Ellen had ever really forgiven John for what he'd done, or just kept it civil only because she felt she had to. After today though, I'd probably go with the ladder. Hell, maybe John never even asked for forgiveness, I don't know. I don't think I ever will.

Now, I couldn't help but wonder if that was part, or all, of the reason Peter stopped speaking to him. I'd asked John about it before – about the friendship he'd claimed they had and why it ended – but he'd never said. He never wanted to talk about it, he always avoided it or changed the subject altogether, and now I think I know why.

It scared me though, how one small choice could affect and change your whole entire life without you really even knowing until it's way too late. How you could lose so many people in the blink of an eye.

Never in a million years would I imagine that I'd be in a position similar to that...especially not with the two men that sat in front of me. I wiped away a few tears with my sleeve as they silently streamed down my cheeks, turning my head away when Sam glanced back at me, hoping he wouldn't see.

Those two, they were pretty much all I had in the world. And if they never forgave me...well, I don't know what I'd do.

* * *

Eventually, my eyes drifted shut in the backseat of the Impala to the quiet hum of the engine as Dean drove down a long, dark road.

 _I was standing in a dark, foggy room, the tall gray walls reaching up to a high cathedral type ceiling. I felt a gust of air move quickly behind me, feeling a wave of fear run through me, and my stomach churned as I quickly spun around._

 _What came next happened so quickly, it was almost as if someone was fast forwarding a really old VHS tape that had been played too many times, causing it to skip violently. I could only make out a deep red pool of blood on the ground and what looked like silhouettes lying in it, but before I could make out who they were, or how many there were, blurred orbs flashed in front of my eyes._

Just when I stumbled backwards in fear, my eyes snapped open and I let out a small gasp as panic ran through me. I quickly looked around me to see that I wasn't in some old, rundown building – but the Impala.

Thankfully, the music was still playing over the radio, so neither one of them heard me. Or if they did, they didn't acknowledge it. Either way, I took a moment to try and calm my breathing, steadying it before they might notice. Just in case.

After thinking it over, I realized that was the same dream that I'd had the other night in the apartment. The same one that made me wake up nervous and covered in sweat. Why did I not remember it then?

I leaned my head back on the seat, letting it lull to the side to stare out of the window. That wasn't just some nightmare, that much I could tell. It had some kind of meaning behind it, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know what that was.

As if all of the blood on the ground wasn't bad enough in itself, it was the last image that really sent a chill down my spine. I tried to shake it off, telling myself it wasn't what I was thinking. Though deep down, I knew. I knew what it was, even though it was blurry. I knew what _they_ were.

I wanted to tell Sam and Dean, but to be honest, even if things were back to normal...I still don't know if I could. Because there was no way in hell I was about to admit to myself or anyone else right now that I'd had a nightmare involving a pair of yellow eyes.

* * *

 **Let me just start off by apologizing for yet another huge gap in time since I've updated. I'm really sorry about that, but I had a severe case of writers block and also...you know, life happens lol**

 **But, thanks for sticking with me! I'm gonna try really hard to not let so much time pass in between anymore. This chapter was a little longer than what I normally write, so I hope you enjoy!**

 **As always, I'll check back later for any mistakes and may change the song but it's staying this way for now.**

 **Anyway, I hope you're all doing well! Thanks for reading! :)**


	7. The Usual Suspects

**_A/N at the bottom!_**

* * *

 _Put your window down  
Tinted glasses hiding your eyes  
It's your favorite disguise  
You don't make a sound  
While you're taking me for a ride  
Holding secrets inside  
_… _._

 _Tell me once again  
How'd you build a kingdom of trust?  
It's beginning to rise  
And where have you been?  
Promises were never enough  
They collect in the dust  
_… _.._

 _Traitor, this is my life  
I'm too strong to lie down next to a mastermind  
Traitor, every time  
I'll no longer keep you a friend of mine_

 _(Traitor, traitor)  
I'll no longer keep you a friend of mine  
(Traitor, traitor)  
I'll no longer keep you a friend of mine_

 _ **Flyleaf – Traitor**_

* * *

Needless to say, things have been fairly quiet since we left the roadhouse, the three of us only speaking when the situation absolutely called for it – all of us lost seemingly in our own thoughts.

The time I'd now spent trying to not to sleep to avoid another nightmare was filled with staring out of the backseat window, _pretending_ to sleep, regret and a lot of anger. I was mad at myself for not telling them sooner. They should have known about it all right after everything happened back at the hospital instead of finding out during a borderline hysterical fit. I wished more than anything that I could go back.

But I knew that was impossible. There was no way for us to go back in time, no way for me to change what happened. There was absolutely nothing I could do but accept what is and try to patch things up so the future wouldn't end up a horrible mess.

Part of me felt like if we talked now, maybe I could somehow explain how I was thinking in that moment. Maybe I could get them to just understand and things would somehow turn out to be...okay.

Though it'd be pretty hard for me to get them to understand something I really didn't.

I let out a small sigh, leaning my head against the window as the Impala sped down a long stretch of pavement. Dean was still behind the wheel, refusing to stop any longer then to get a couple hours of sleep in the car. He'd been driving pretty much non-stop since we'd left Nebraska, only letting Sam take the wheel a few times when he badgered him about it enough.

The purple, bruise-like dark circles underneath his eyes was a very clear and obvious sign that he needed sleep. In a bed. For more than two hours.

Just as Dean pulled the Impala into a gas station and put the car in park, Sam got out, stretching his legs a little. I watched Dean as he stood from the car, going to fill up the tank with a tired look on his face. I let out a big breath of air, deciding that my concern for Dean's well-being outweighed anything else – even him being upset with me.

"Dean." I called quietly as I slowly opened the car door, stepping quietly out of the car.

I saw his shoulders rise and fall as he took in a breath, letting it out slowly before turning back to me. "What?"

"I think maybe we should stop for a bit. You need to get some rest."

"I'm fine."

"But-"

"I said, I'm fine." Dean said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than me. I watched him for a moment, nodding slowly before glancing back at Sam, who shot me a worried glanced as he looked up to his brother. With a quiet sigh, I sank back down into the car.

Apparently, Sam shared my worries, moving over to Dean as soon as I'd closed the door to speak to him. All Dean did was shake his head, getting irritated with Sam as he sat back in the car, starting it with a huff. We still drove for a while after leaving the gas station, but eventually Dean gave in and agreed to get a motel a few hours later.

When we arrived there and got a room, I grabbed one of the bags out of the trunk and headed in first, squinting my eyes as I turned on the bright light. I threw the bag down on the couch, sitting there as the boys made their way inside. I felt as though I was about to break at any moment, the tense felling in the room becoming overwhelming.

It wasn't too long after that, that Dean announced he was gonna run out and get some dinner. Sam tried to stop him, saying that he'd go instead, but Dean barely paid attention as he moved towards the door.

"What do you want?"

"Salad." Sam mumbled, clearly upset that his brother wasn't listening, running himself into the ground. Dean nodded, glancing over at me.

"You?"

"Um, nothing." I murmured quietly, playing with the ends of my hair.

"What?"

"Nothing." I said a little louder, adding a quick shake of my head.

I wasn't not eating to be rebellious or to try and make them feel bad for me, I legitimately couldn't imagine doing that right now as every single time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of pools of blood on the ground behind my eyelids.

You'd think after all I've been through, I'd be used to a little blood. And in a sense, I was. But this- this was entirely different. It messed with my head, made me feel physically sick.

"Fine." Dean muttered, grabbing his jacket as he headed outside. Having to be alone with only one of the brothers at a time seemed to take away some of the tension in the room, but I still felt wrong.

I watched Sam as he sat at the table, silently flipping pages in a book. It didn't really look like he was actually reading it, just skimming through to keep himself busy. I rested my head in my hand, trying my hardest to keep my eyes open as they attempted to slip shut.

 _A strong sense of fear washed through me as I walked through an old looking, dusty hallway, tracing my fingers on a few of the picture frames hanging there. I couldn't really make out the pictures inside, but they were definitely of a family. A small one._

 _The further down I got, the more narrow the walls became and I was starting to feel like I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, I was pushed up against the wall by an invisible force as someone dug their fingers into my throat, breaking the skin at the surface._

I let out a loud gasp and I sat upright, my hand going right to my throat as I breathed hard when the rush of air filled up my lungs. I swallowed hard, scanning the small room to remember where I really was. My eyes landed on Sam, seeing him staring over at me with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, y- yeah. Yeah..."

"What happened?"

"Just a...bad dream." I mumbled, gently messaging my throat. Strangely enough, it had actually _felt_ like I was being choked. I was almost tempted to go look in a mirror to see if there were finger-shaped bruises there.

Sam nodded, slowly moving to sit on the coffee table in front of me. "Tori, can we- can we talk?"

I had to admit I was a bit taken a-back, but if he wanted to talk, I was all for it. "If you want to, sure."

"Dad, he- he told you what it was that he wanted to do?" Sam asked. "The Colt for Dean?"

"Yeah." I muttered. "But I swear, I didn't know anything else."

"Yeah, I- I believe you." Sam nodded. "But I mean, why- why didn't you just tell me? You know, then and there."

"John told me it might mess all of it up if I said anything. That he knew the- the demon could be watching us. And at the time, I was just- I was just thinking of Dean. I didn't know what to do, Sam."

Sam was about to reply when we heard the Impala pull up in front of the building, the car door shutting. He shot me a look that told me this conversation wasn't over, but at the same time, I thought I saw a little bit of understanding there.

Though that was probably just me trying to be hopeful.

As Sam went back to his book, Dean opened the door, kicking it shut with his foot to put the bags he was carrying on the table, pulling out a container and sliding it in front of Sam.

"For the rabbit."

Sam rolled his eyes, pulling the container closer. "Yeah, thanks."

"I know you didn't want anything, but, uh-" Dean mumbled, his voice strained as he glanced up, throwing me a burger. "Here."

"Thanks." I muttered, throwing him a tiny smile. Even though I didn't want to, I almost felt like I had to eat it. I mean, there was no reason for him to even think of me right now, yet he did.

Though, John had always drilled into his head that he had to protect Sam and I. That just what he did. That's who he was. At this point, I think it was just a knee-jerk reaction.

* * *

A little after that, I'd gone into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Though I ended up being in there for at least an hour. I couldn't help but wonder if Sam and Dean were talking about anything...though knowing them, I'm sure it didn't get any further than Sam saying two words before Dean told him to knock it off.

When I came back out, Dean was on the laptop, probably looking for anything that even sounded remotely close to a job that we could do. I knew he didn't really want to come here, he didn't want to be cooped up in a room right now. Not too long after, I saw the look appear on his face that he got when he thought he found something.

"Hey."

"What?" Sam asked, looking up at his brother from his spot on the bed that he'd moved to.

"Anthony Giles, a Baltimore lawyer, working late in his office. His throat was slit, but the room was clean. No DNA, no prints. And-" Dean paused, to read from the screen. " _The security cameras failed to capture footage of the assailant_."

"Huh."

"So, I'm thinking either somebody tampered with the tapes-"

"Or it's an invisible killer."

"We're not that far. It's worth looking into." Dean shrugged as Sam nodded, glancing over to me. Dean raised an eyebrow, watching the interaction closely.

"Uh, yeah." I muttered, nodding.

"Alright, then." Dean sighed, shutting the laptop. "We'll head out in the morning."

Sam threw his book on the table, standing to his feet as he headed to the bathroom. Dean got up from the chair, making his way over to the foot of the other bed, turning to face me as I laid back down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

"You're gonna sleep there?"

"Yeah." I murmured. I knew Dean was tired. He hadn't slept much with all that driving he did, it wouldn't have been fair for him to sleep on the couch. Plus, I really wasn't planning on doing much sleeping, anyway.

"You're-" Dean paused, taking in a deep breath. "You can have the bed, if you want."

"Oh, no. No, it's okay." I mumbled, resting my head in my hand as Sam walked out of the bathroom. "You guys take the beds, I probably won't sleep much anyway."

Sam and Dean shared a look, both seeming a little reluctant as they laid on each bed. I bit my lip, staring to busy myself by making shapes in the dots on the ceiling.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean look at me for a moment, almost like he wanted to say something, before turning away with a heavy sigh to shut off the light, sending the room into pitch blackness – with only a small source of light coming from the moonlight peeking in through a gap in the curtains beside me. I rested my arms on my stomach, letting out a sigh.

This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

A few hours later, I woke up, realizing I'd fallen asleep for at least a couple hours without having a horrible dream. I let out a sigh of relief, hoping those stupid dreams were done with when noticed I was much more comfortable than I was when I'd fallen asleep.

I cracked an eye open, seeing that I was now in the bed. I looked across the room to see Dean laying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I was about to say something when he closed his eyes, his chest moving slowly as his breaths evened out.

It was my turn then, to stare up at the ceiling, not being able to fall asleep after that.

Why?

That was all I wanted to know.

Why did any of this have to happen? Dean, Sam, John and I...we were all together again. Things were gonna be okay. And now everything's turned to complete shit and I don't know if I'll ever be forgiven by the people I care about most.

* * *

Eventually, light drifted through the window and I heard Dean sit up, cracking his back as he stood, going to head into the bathroom.

"Dean." I murmured quietly, sitting up.

"Yeah." He asked, turning back around.

"I um- I was fine on the couch, you didn't have to move me."

"How do you know it was me?"

"Just assumed." I shrugged, biting my lip.

"Yeah, well...you- you just didn't look very comfortable." Dean muttered.

"That's not fair to you."

"Well."

"Thank you...though." I murmured.

"It's fine." Dean mumbled, heading into the bathroom. I let out a sigh, throwing myself back down onto the bed as I heard the water turned on, running in the background as Sam still snored softly on his bed, his arm hanging over the side.

A little bit later, Dean came back out, heading over to Sam to smack his leg hard, waking him up.

"What?" Sam grumbled into the pillow.

"Time to go. Get up." Dean said, staring down at his brother with a huff before pulling the pillow out from underneath Sam's head, which fell back into the mattress with a single bounce as his eyes snapped open.

"Dean!"

"Get up."

"Fine!" Sam exclaimed, pushing Dean out of the way to head into the bathroom.

Dean let out a low chuckle at his brother, shaking his head as he pulled on his jacket, turning to me. "You ready?"

I glanced down at the jeans and t-shirt I opted to change into last night after my shower and shrugged, grabbing my jacket as I stood to my feet. "Yup."

"Alright." Dean nodded, throwing a couple bags over his shoulder. Sam came out, picking up the laptop and putting in it's bag as the three of us left.

* * *

 **GILES HOUSE – DAY**

After arriving in Baltimore and finding the address, we decided to head to Anthony Giles' house before anything else.

Not too long after, we stood in front of Ms. Giles, a short dark-haired women looking up at us with tear filled brown eyes nearly hidden behind her thick framed glasses. She glanced down at some forms in her lap that Sam had given her, looking them over.

"Insurance. I totally forgot about the insurance."

"We're very sorry to bother you right now, but the company is required to conduct it's own investigation." Sam muttered. "You understand."

"Sure."

"Okay. Um, if you could just tell us anything you remember about the night your husband died."

"Uh, Tony and I were just supposed to have dinner. He called and said he was having computer troubles and that- that he had to work late. That was it."

"Do you have any idea who could have done this to him?" I asked.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "No, it's like I told the police, I- I have no idea."

"Did Tony mention anything, you know, unusual to you?" Dean asked. "In the days before his death?"

"Unusual…?" She asked, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, like strange?"

"Strange?" Ms. Giles repeated, shaking her head.

"You know, Karen, _weird_?" Dean asked, getting a little snippy. "Weird noises, uh, visions, anything like that?"

Sam cleared his throat, shooting Dean a hard look as Ms. Giles glanced back down to the papers for a moment before looking back to Sam, who already had his sympathetic look back in place.

"He had a nightmare the day before he died." Ms. Giles admitted.

"What kind of a nightmare?" I asked, giving her a concerned look.

"Uh, he said that he woke up in the middle of the night and there was a woman standing at the foot of the bed, he blinked and she was gone. I mean, it was just a nightmare."

"Did he say what she looked like?" Dean pressed.

"What the hell difference does it make what she looked like?" Karen asked, getting a little upset with all the intrusive questions.

"Uh, our- our company's very thorough." I muttered, shooting her a small smile as I tried to salvage the conversation.

"He said she was pale, and she had dark red eyes."

"Well, that certainly sounds like a scary nightmare." I mumbled, taking a small breath as I tired to block out images of yellow orbs in front of my eyes. Sam muttered something about us being done here. Ms. Giles stood, leading us back to the door, giving Sam a small hug before we left.

* * *

Neither one of us could seem to come up with a good reason for Anthony Giles to be experiencing what he was, so in order to get more information, we waited until it was dark before heading over to the office building he used to work in, breaking into his office.

We ducked under police tape, making our way into the room. Sam shined the flashlight around, stopping on a pool of blood in front of me. I paused, blinking a few times as my nightmare flooded back into my head.

Why the hell did this job just _have_ to involve dreams of strange colored eyes and pools of blood?

"Anthony Giles' body was found right about here." Sam muttered, reading from a piece of paper in his hand. " _Throat slit so deep part of his spinal cord was visible."_

"What do you think? Vengeful spirit? Underlining vengeful?" Dean asked, staring down at the huge pool of blood that I was trying to avoid.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Take a look at this." Dean muttered, holding up a piece of paper. Written on it were the words, _danashulps_ repeated over and over in small print to fill the page.

"Dana Shulps. Is that a name?" I asked, glancing over up Dean.

"I dunno, but it's everywhere." Dean mumbled, a small grin appearing on his face as he looked up at me. " _Well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy._ "

I smiled back at him for a moment, until the two of us remembered what was going on in our actual lives outside of this job and Dean looked away, going back to sifting through papers on the desk. Sam moved the flashlight over the glass table in front of him, staring down at it for a moment before blowing out a breath of air over the surface. I looked down at it to see _danashulps_ written there.

"Wow. I'd say we've officially crossed over into weird." Sam muttered.

"Maybe Giles knew her." Dean said.

"Maybe it's the name of the girl he saw." I suggested.

"Well, let's see what we can see."

* * *

We hadn't had much luck finding anything in this office and were just about to give up when Sam decided to take one last shot at the computer.

"There's not a single mention of a _Dana Shulps_ anywhere. There's not a D. Shulps, or any other kind of friggin' Shulps." Dean complained.

"Great." Sam sighed.

"What have you got?"

"Nothing. No Dana Shulps has ever lived or died in Baltimore in the last fifty years, at least."

"So what now?"

"Well, I think I'm pretty close to cracking Giles' password. Maybe there's something in his personal files, you know?"

"And by close you mean-"

"Thirty minutes, maybe?" Sam said, shrugging. I leaned against the wall behind him, folding my arms as Dean glanced down at his watch, rolling his eyes.

"Awesome. So I guess I just get to, uh, hang out." Dean muttered, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he sat in the chair in front of the desk. "Awesome."

Sam started typing on the keyboard, concentrating as he stared intently at the screen. I bit my lip, looking around the office to distract myself when I heard Dean start clicking his tongue, making noises.

"Dude, seriously." Sam said, raising his eyebrows.

"Alright, I'm gonna go talk to Karen again, see if she knows anything about this Dana Shulps, huh?" Dean said, standing up quickly.

"Great."

"Keep going, Sparky." Dean muttered, throwing me a small glance before moving to head out of the office.

"Hey." I called, getting his attention as he stopped at the door.

"Yeah?"

"Just uh, be careful." I told him, a very unsettled feeling coming over me as I watched him nod once, leaving the office.

"You okay?" Sam asked, glancing back at me.

"Yeah." I nodded, moving to sit in the chair Dean was just in.

"So, you didn't sleep last night. What was that about?"

"What?" I asked, a little taken a-back by his question.

"Tori."

"I- how the hell would you even know that?"

"You think I sleep straight through the night? Every time I woke up, your eyes were open."

"Yeah, well...I- I thought you had to concentrate." I mumbled, nodding to the computer.

"You can talk to me, Tori." Sam said, giving me his puppy-dog eyes. "I have weird dreams all the time."

"I know. I just don't want to talk about it...I mean, there's really nothing to say anyway. They're just some stupid dreams." I lied, feeling a chill run down my spine at the simple mention of the nightmares.

"I thought my dreams were stupid at first." Sam murmured, a sad look coming into his eyes.

"I really doubt I'm having premonitions, Sam." I said, my voice a bit gentler and less guarded than before. "Really, I'm- well, I'm as close to okay as I be right now with everything that's been going on."

"O- okay." Sam nodded, looking like he wanted to say something else when something on the screen caught his eye. "Hey, I think I'm almost in. Once I'm done, we can get out of here."

"Alright." I said, thankful for the subject change.

A little bit of time passed before Sam finally got into Anthony's computer. And after more searching, he still didn't find anything about Dana Shulps. Sam and I got all the other information we could find together before heading back outside to make our way to the motel.

"You think Dean's okay?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Yeah, why?"

"I mean, he hasn't called. He's just been there a while."

"I'm sure he's fine." Sam said, furrowing his brow. "Why? Do you feel like something's wrong?"

"Why would that matter?"

"'Cause you and Dean always seem to know when something's up with each other. It's kinda creepy, actually." Sam said, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Sam."

"Really though, do you?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe I'll head over there. You know, just to make sure."

"Alone? You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I said, giving him the bag of papers I was holding. "You head back to the motel."

"Alright. Let me know." Sam said, walking in the other direction.

* * *

 **GILES HOUSE – NIGHT**

From the distance I was at, I saw the bright lights of a few cop cars surrounding the Giles' house. Two of them were speaking to each other for a moment before getting into each car. They turned around, driving in the direction I'd just come from and I quickly ducked behind a large tree on the corner of the street, peeking around as the cars drove by.

It was dark, but definitely saw a guy sitting in the backseat of one of them. I squinted just a little bit, my eyes widening as I realized just who that guy was.

"Dean, you- shit!" I exclaimed quietly, running a frustrated hand through my hair as I rested my forehead against the tree. "Fuck."

What the hell did he do?

Eventually, I realized that I had to let Sam know and grabbed my phone out of my pocket as I made my way down one of the other streets to try and avoid as many cops as possible. I dialed his number, letting out a relived sigh when he answer on the first ring.

"How's it going?"

"Not good."

"What happened?" Sam asked, immediately concerned.

"Dean was arrested."

"What?! How? Why?"

"I don't know!"

"Alright, alright, we'll figure this out."

"How?"

"We will."

"But Sam, what happened in St. Louis-"

"Tori, we will figure it out." Sam repeated, a loud bang sounding through the speaker.

"What was that?"

"Oh, shit." Sam mumbled.

"Sam, no." I hissed into the phone, not wanting to let myself believe what was actually happening here. Suddenly, the line went dead and the call was disconnected. "Oh, come on!"

The frustration I was feeling was taken out on my phone as I broke it in half, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it with my boot. After taking a deep breath, I picked up the few pieces it broke into and threw them into the nearest trashcan I could find.

At least now I knew they couldn't find me. Which meant I could at least try and do something for Sam and Dean...though I had absolutely no clue what.

* * *

I found another motel – practically on the other side of the town – and dragged myself inside, plopping down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. I just sat there, staring across the dim room.

What scared me was that they had to know who Dean was from what happened St. Louis, what they thought he did. I knew that would come back to bite us in the ass someday.

My question now is, how the fuck do we get out of this?

I laid back down on the bed, thinking the past day over to try and distract myself. I couldn't make sense of the woman Anthony Giles was seeing. It had to mean something, I just wasn't sure what.

One of the many strange things about this was _Dana Shulps_. I mean, why would it be written all over Anthony Giles' office? Especially since someone with that name apparently didn't seem to exist. At least not in Baltimore.

I stared up at the ceiling for a moment when a thought came into my head and I quickly scrambled for a piece of paper and a pen, writing down Dana Shulps. The more I looked at it, the more wrong it seemed...and then it came to me.

Maybe it isn't a name.

After that realization, I quickly made my way back outside, remembering seeing a phone-booth not too far away. Once I was there, I dialed the number and held the phone to my ear, listening as it rang three times.

" _Singer Salva-_ "

"Bobby." I murmured, feeling the tears spring back to my eyes as I heard his voice.

" _Vic? What's the matter?_ " He asked, his voice full of concern – but not panic. Bobby never panicked.

"We have a major problem over here, Bobby."

" _What now?_ "

"Well, Dean and Sam...they got arrested."

" _How?_ "

"Well, Dean, I- I don't know. But Sam, they got him after. Probably found the motel info on Dean."

" _Did you get rid of your phone?_ "

"Yes." I told him. "But-"

Bobby scoffed, probably shaking his head as he fixed his baseball cap. " _Leave 'em there._ "

"Bobby."

" _They should know better._ " He grumbled. " _Why weren't you with Dean? You're the only one that keeps him thinkin'._ "

"That's not true." I argued. "Dean knows what he's doing."

" _Sometimes_." Bobby muttered as I rolled my eyes. " _Why weren't you with him?_ "

"Well, uh, there's- that's another story." I said quietly, glancing towards the ground.

" _I'm gonna need to know before I help you._ "

"Bobby, I am inside a shady phone-booth in the dark, could we not gossip?"

" _It ain't gossip. I barely even know what's going on with you three anymore since you left here._ " Bobby said, his voice taking on the slightest tone of sadness. I knew he cared a lot. The three of us, we were basically his children.

"And I can fill you in another time, but right now I need to find a way in there."

I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking. All I knew was that I wanted to see them, make sure they were alright. Just because they were mad at me didn't mean I stopped protecting them. And if we could figure out this whole _Dana Shulps_ thing, maybe we could prevent more people from getting hurt.

" _Fine._ " Bobby said, taking a deep breath " _Here's what you're gonna do._ "

* * *

After getting everything Bobby had instructed, I made my way back to the motel with a new cell phone so I could call him again, just like he'd asked.

Well, _demanded_ , really.

I sat on the bed, dialing his number as I started cutting out the new ID cards he'd sent me to print before.

" _Singer-_ "

"Bobby." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

" _Get everything?_ "

"Yup."

" _You know you're not gonna be able to get them out of this one, right?_ " Bobby asked. " _This is not just some little thing that you can chalk up to being a hazing._ "

"I know that. I have something to tell them about the job we're working." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "And I just want to make sure they're okay."

" _Of course you do._ " Bobby muttered, letting out a breath. " _Alright then, since you've got some extra time, why don't you tell me what's been going on?_ "

"Not much."

" _If you don't tell me the truth in five seconds-_ "

"What are you gonna do, get on a plane at midnight and come over here?" I asked sarcastically.

" _Don't sass me._ " Bobby grumbled. " _Now, I know something was up with you kids the moment you came here after John died. And it was more than just regular ol' mourning._ "

"What was it?" I challenged, feeling myself getting annoyed with how observant his was.

" _Guilt._ " Bobby said quickly, no question in his mind. " _Coming off you and Dean like crazy._ "

"Bobby-"

" _Don't bullshit a bullshitter._ "

"Fine!" I exclaimed, throwing the papers down as I broke, telling him all of it. Everything that I was feeling, all the guilt.

I told him about what happened at the hospital, what John had told me he was going to do, and then what ended up happening. How I didn't tell Sam and Dean what I knew on my own, how everything just poured out in a hysterical moment. How they probably hated me now...and how I hated myself.

And when it was all over, I heard silence on the other end – only the sound of him breathing coming through the speaker.

"Bobby?" I muttered, sniffing as I wiped the tears off my cheeks.

" _You really think that you're to blame for John doing what he did?_ " Bobby asked incredulously.

"...yes?"

" _Well, that is just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard._ "

"What?" I asked, my eyes going wide. "Bobby, what the hell?"

" _You know I don't sugarcoat anything. It is what it is, and that's just dumb._ " Bobby said simply.

"But I didn't try hard enough to stop him." I said. "They have every right to be mad at me, he was their Dad."

" _Yeah, and he was one hard-headed son of a bitch. He wasn't one to listen to other people. You couldn't have stopped him even if you tried. And those boys should know that. They should know to not be so hard on you._ "

"But I- I mean there was probably something else I could have done to-"

" _No, there wasn't. But what you should have done was tell Sam and Dean what happened right away._ "

"Yeah, thanks, Bobby. I know." I said. "I already feel bad enough."

" _And you should. For that._ " Bobby muttered. " _But everything else? That was all out of your control._ "

Was there really nothing I could have done to stop John? Looking back on it now, I guess that maybe- maybe Bobby was right.

"Maybe…" I sighed, playing with the ends of my hair. "I don't think Sam and Dean will see it that way, though."

" _Then make 'em._ "

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

" _The person I'm talking to right now is not you._ "

"What do you mean?"

" _The Victoria I know doesn't wallow in self-pity. You're a hell of a lot stronger than you're letting yourself be right now and you know it._ " Bobby finished, his voice growing softer.

For some reason, that struck a chord within me, and I realized how I'd been acting lately. That wasn't like me at all. "Thank you, Bobby."

" _Sure._ " Bobby muttered a little awkwardly, a small smile in his voice. " _Need anything else?_ "

"No thanks."

" _Alright. You be careful tomorrow._ "

"I will." I told him, hanging up the phone with a sigh as I got back to work.

* * *

 **POLICE STATION – DAY**

I swallowed nervously as I stared up at the large building in front of me, smoothing out my dark blue skirt and taking in a deep breath as I walked up the police station's steps.

 _I can do this._

As I walked in, I felt as though everyone was watching me, but I ignored it, focusing on what I had to do here. A woman with shoulder length, dark blonde hair walked out of one of the rooms, shooting me a strange look as she made her way to me.

"Hello." I smiled, holding my hand out to her. "I'm Julia Kursh with the public defender's office."

"Yes?" She asked, holding onto my hand a second longer than probably necessary.

"I was called on behalf of the Winchesters. I'm their lawyer." I said, taking a small breath. "I'm sure you were notified."

"We were." She nodded, shooting me a small smile "I'm Detective Ballard."

"Hi." I smiled. "So, have to spoken to either of them yet?"

"Another Detective working the case spoke little to the oldest one, Dean."

"And?"

"Not getting anywhere."

"Well, I think I should present for the remainder of the interviews."

"Well, um, sure." Ballard said, leading me down a hallway. "I was just about to speak to his brother. You can watch from the observation room here."

"Alright." I nodded, following her as we made our way to it. She opened the door for me, and I made my way inside the room, looking through the two-way mirror at Sam. He paced in front of one of the windows, a tired look on his face.

"Well, make yourself comfortable." She said, moving towards the door. "Would you like anything? Coffee?"

"Oh, no thank you." I smiled, watching as she nodded and left. I folded my arms, lifting one hand up to run my temple, feeling a headache coming on.

A few minutes later, Ballard entered the interrogation room, calling Sam's attention. She placed a cup on the table, looking over at him.

"Thought you might be thirsty."

"Okay, so you're the good cop. Where's the bad cop?" Sam asked, turning towards her.

"Oh, he's with your brother."

"Okay. And you're holding us why?"

"Well, he's being held on suspicion of murder. And you, we'll see." Ballard said, folding her arms.

"Murder?!" Sam exclaimed, his eyes going wide.

"You sound genuinely surprised." Ballard said. "Or are you that good of an actor?"

"Who was he supposed to have murdered?!"

"We'll get around to that."

"Well, you can't just hold us here without formal charges."

"Well actually, we can. For forty eight hours. But you being a pre-law student, would know that. I know all about you, Sam." Ballard said, opening a folder in her hands. "You're twenty three years old, no job, no home address. Your mother died when you were a baby, your father's whereabouts are unknown. And then there's the case of your brother Dean. Whose demise was, well, just a little bit exaggerated. Feel free to jump in whenever you like."

Sam leaned against the wall, folding his arms as she smirked and continued.

"Shy? No problem, I'll keep going. Your family moved around a lot when you were a kid. Despite that, you were a straight-A student. Got into Stanford with a full ride." She closed the file, looking back up at him. "Then about a year ago there was a fire in your apartment. One fatality. Jessica Moore, your girlfriend. After she died, you fell off the grid. Left behind everything."

"I needed some time off. To deal." Sam shrugged, his eyes taking on that sad look he got whenever someone mentioned Jessica. "So I'm taking a road trip with my brother."

"How's that going for you?"

"Great. I mean...we saw the second largest ball of twine in the continental US. Awesome." Sam muttered sarcastically, straddling the chair he pulled up to the table.

"We ran Dean's fingerprints through AFIS."

"Okay."

"Got over a dozen possible hits."

" _Possible_ hits. Which makes them worthless."

"But it makes you wonder...what are we gonna find when we run _your_ prints?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well. You be sure to let me know, alright?" Sam mumbled, pointing to the cup on the table. "May I?"

"Please." Ballard said, gesturing to the cup.

"Great." Sam said, taking a sniff of the liquid before sipping it as Ballard leaned over on the table.

"Sam, you seem like a good kid. It's not your fault Dean's your brother. We can't pick our family. Right now detectives in St. Louis are exhuming a corpse. They're trying to figure out how your brother faked his own death. After torturing all those young women...Dean's a bad guy."

I couldn't help but get angry at what she was saying, wanting to go in there and scream the truth at her as I remembered the time I'd spent tied to a bed getting tortured by the real bastard that did all those things. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I tried to push the memories out of my mind.

"His life is over." Ballard muttered. "Yours doesn't have to be."

"You want me to turn against my own brother?" Sam asked incredulously.

"No. We already caught him cold. Red-handed at the Karen Giles murder scene. We just need you to fill in some missing pieces."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I can talk to the DA. Make a deal for you. You can get on with your life. Dean's as good as gone." She said. Sam thought for a moment, taking a deep breath as he looked down to the table.

"My dad and Tony Giles were old friends. They were in the service together. We've known him since we were kids, you know? So we came as soon as we heard about his death." Sam told her. He was so convincing, I almost believed him. "Would've been kinda hard for Dean to kill Tony, considering we weren't in town at the time."

"So tell me what happened next."

"That's when we went to see Karen. She was barely holding it together. We just wanted to be there for her, you know? So, we stayed for a bit and just talked. Then before we left, I gave Karen a hug, told her to call me if she needed anything. And that was it. End of story."

"Sam, I am trying to help you here. But you have got to be honest with me. Now we have an eyewitness." Ballard said, looking Sam straight in the eye. "Someone who saw two men fitting your and your brother's description breaking into Giles' office."

"Okay, well-"

"Wait, wait." Ballard stopped him, holding up a hand. "They also saw a female with you."

My eyes widened as I suddenly tensed up, trying my hardest to keep my cool. Sam paused for a moment, his facade faltering as he stared up at her. "What?"

"The witness said they saw a female with you."

"That's impossible. It was just Dean and I."

"Oh, really? Then how is it possible that they described you and your brother perfectly if they were just seeing random people?"

"I don't know." Sam said, shrugging his shoulders. "All I know is, there was no girl with us."

"Alright, Sam. So, you don't want to give her up. Fine. We'll figure out who she is soon enough." Ballard muttered. "So, after you broke into the office – why didn't you go back to Karen's with your brother?"

"I kinda tired so I just went back to the motel." Sam said, looking up at her. "How'd you know I was there, by the way?"

"We found the motel matchbook on your brother when we arrested him." Ballard said, leaning down on the table again. "Let's quit fooling around. Now you were with your brother and this mystery girl the whole time you were in Baltimore. Why split up now? Because your brother, and possibly this _woman,_ left you. To go murder Karen."

"He didn't kill anyone." Sam argued, ignoring the comment about me.

Ballard hit the table hard with her fist, her temper shining through. "I heard the 9-1-1 call! Karen was terrified. She said someone was in the house."

"He didn't kill her!" Sam exclaimed, his own frustration getting the best of him.

Without another word, Ballard turned on her heel, leaving the room. I waited for a few minutes, watching Sam closely as he breathed heavily. I could tell he was getting worried.

Truthfully, I was, too.

Detective Ballard came back in the observation room to check on me, her frustration still showing clear on her face as she leaned in the doorway.

"Do you need anything?"

"No. I'd like to speak to my clients now." I announced, going towards the door. Ballard stared back at me for a second, letting out a sigh as she nodded.

"Alright. You can speak to Dean first." She said, leading me out into the hallway, stopping in front of one of the other rooms. I peeked inside the small window, seeing Dean handcuffed to a chair, a bored look on his face.

A dark haired man walked over to us then, looking me up and down. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Julia Kursh. The Winchesters lawyer."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Detective Sheridan." He said, holding his hand out for me to shake.

"Hi." I smiled, turning back to Ballard. "I think I'm ready now."

"One thing."Sheridan said, holding up a finger.

"What?"

"Dean, he's very manipulative. And not to scare you, but from what we've seen, you're his type."

"He has a type?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Pretty, young women." Sheridan muttered.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted someone in there with you." He mumbled quickly as Ballard shot him a look.

"Oh, no." I shook my head, looking between the two. "That's not necessary."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Good luck, then. He's quite the handful."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine. I've dealt with people like that before." I told him. _Like half my life_.

Ballard nodded, placing a hand on Sheridan's arm and they both left me in front of the door. I noticed how they stood a little too close to each other, their sides practically touching as they walked down the hallway.

I knew Dean was mad at me still, but I could only hope he wouldn't blow this. I stood there for another second, taking a small breath before pushing the door open. Dean barely even acknowledged the fact that somebody was there, still staring down at the table in front of him.

I took a few more steps into the room before shutting the door behind me, causing him to look up. As soon as he did, there was nothing but shock and maybe even some relief written on his face.

"What are you doing here?

"Mr. Winchester. I'm Julia Kursh, your... _lawyer_." I said, widening my eyes, trying to tell him to compose himself.

"Oh, great." Dean muttered, rolling his eyes. "Listen, you really don't need to be here."

I knew he would still be upset with me, and even after speaking with Bobby, I couldn't bring myself to blame him. However, that didn't mean I could stop myself from becoming annoyed with him.

With a sigh, I walked over to the table, sitting down. "Well, here I am."

"Right." Dean scoffed.

Even though I didn't want to, I knew I had to play along because we were being recorded, though it was audio only. And thankfully, my back was to the two-way mirror.

"These charges are pretty serious."

"Yeah, I'm handcuffed to a table. I know it, _Matlock_." Dean said, his voice tense as he smirked at me.

"Well, at least you look like you're doing well." I said, looking him over to make sure he was really alright.

"Could I steal a pen from you? Some paper?" Dean asked. I nodded, looking up to the window to make sure no one was there before pulling out a pen and pad of paper, sliding it over to him.

"So, the police haven't found a weapon yet...but, uh, they- they've got your prints. And apparently literal _blood_ on _your_ hands." I said, watching as he scribbled.

"It's an anagram." Dean said, not even attempting to acknowledge what I'd just told him.

"What?" I asked, a little surprised that he'd come up with that conclusion, too.

"You know, an anagram? Same letters, different words." Dean said sarcastically, pushing the paper towards me.

"I know what an anagram is, D- _Mr. Winchester_." I corrected quickly, reading from the small piece of paper.

 _DNA SHULPS  
DAN SHULPAS  
LAND PUSHAS  
SUPASH LAND  
PUSH LANDAS  
PLUSH DANAS_

"I don't see what that has to do with anything." I mumbled, still playing along as I circled Ashland, writing: _It's a street_ underneath the word. I pushed the paper back to Dean, watching him read over the paper in slight shock.

"Uh, do me a favor?"

"Why don't we start with where you were the night Anthony Giles died-"

"Can you do me favor?" Dean repeated, looking up at me.

"Depends. I- I could try."

"Good." Dean said, ripping another piece of paper off the pad, taking the pen from me. "Can you get in to see my brother?"

"Yeah, I think so." I muttered, taking a deep breath. I knew this had to come from him to Sam, not me. I couldn't get in the middle, because if I got caught, we were all just really screwed. More than we already are. "You could be facing the death penalty here."

"Listen, if you want to help me – I need you to see my brother." Dean said as I took the folded paper from him. I nodded, standing to my feet to head into Sam's room.

* * *

 **SAM'S INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY**

Sam pretty much had the same reaction to seeing me walk in here, pretending like I knew what the hell I was doing. But I had to admit, Bobby's crash course on law wasn't all that bad. I seemed to be getting by alright. No one noticed yet. _Yet_ being the key word.

"How are you doing?" I asked, sitting down in front of him.

"Uh, fine. You?" Sam asked rather awkwardly.

"Great." I nodded, pulling the folded note out of my pocket. "We should talk about the case now…"

"Sure thing, Matlock." Sam muttered, raising an eyebrow at me as he unfolded the piece of paper. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head slightly as he read through the note.

 _HILTS -  
IT'S A __STREET_ _  
ASHLAND.  
-MCQUEEN. _

Sam looked up at me, giving me one small nod as a knock sounded on the door. Detective Ballard stuck her head in, looking over at me.

"We need you." She said, nodding out to the hallway. "With the other one."

"Okay." I said, shooting Sam a _be careful_ look as I got up, following Ballard out of the room back to Dean's.

* * *

 **DEAN'S INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY**

When Ballard and I entered, a man with was setting up a camera on a stand in front of the desk. He turned towards me, looking me over before raising an eyebrow.

"Counselor? Detective Sheridan." He said, extending his hand. I shook it once, letting it go. "Your boy decided to confess."

My eyes widened as I turned to Dean, shaking my head slightly. "Mr. Winchester, I'd suggest you don't do that."

"Talk directly into the camera, first stating your name for the record." Detective Sheridan muttered, ignoring me. I narrowed my eyes. There was something about him that I just didn't like.

Dean cleared is throat, leaning forward in his chair as he stared into the camera.

"My name is Dean Winchester…I'm an Aquarius." Dean said, pausing a moment to look at me before turning back to the camera. I let out a quiet relieved breath as he continued. "I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women. And I did not kill anyone. But I know who did. Or rather _what_ did. Of course it can't be for sure, because our investigation was interrupted. But our working theory was that we're looking for some kind of vengeful spirit."

Ballard glanced over at me, looking to Dean with a confused expression. "Excuse me?"

"You know, Casper the bloodthirsty ghost?" Dean asked, looking up at her. Tony Giles saw it. I'll bet you cash money Karen did, too. But see, the interesting thing is the word it leaves behind. For some reason it's trying to tell us something. But communicating across the vale, it ain't easy. You know, sometimes the spirits, they- they get things jumbled. You remember _REDRUM_. Same concept."

Detective Ballard stared at him with her mouth hanging open slightly, her brow furrowed as Dean kept going.

"You know, it's, uh, maybe word fragments...other times, it's anagrams. See, at first we thought this was a name, Dana Shulps. But now we think it's a street. Ashland. Whatever's going on, I'll bet you it started there." Dean finished, smiling as he leaned back in the chair.

"You arrogant bastard." Sheridan spat. "Tony and Karen were good people, and you're making jokes."

"I'm not joking, Ponch."

"You murdered them in cold blood just like that girl in St. Louis."

"Oh, yeah. That wasn't me either. That was a shape-shifter creature that only looked like me." Dean said, smiling at the camera again. In a split second, Sheridan was across the room, hauling Dean up by the collar, slamming him hard against the wall.

"Detective, I'd strongly advise against you assaulting my client." I said quickly, forcing my voice to sound much more calm and collected than how I really felt. Truthfully, I wanted to go smack the shit out of him, but I couldn't do that.

"Pete, that is enough!" Ballard exclaimed.

"You asked for the truth." Dean muttered, raising his eyebrows.

Sheridan stared at Dean for a moment, roughly letting go of his collar. "Lock his ass up."

One of the other cops in the room went over then, pushing Dean face first against the wall to cuff him. I narrowed my eyes at Sheridan, watching him as he still stared over at Dean. I didn't like him, and not only because he'd just pushed Dean around, but because there was just _something_ about him that rubbed me the wrong way.

The cop grabbed Dean, practically dragging him to the door. As they passed by, Dean smirked at me, winking.

"Knock it off." The cop scolded, harshly pushing Dean out of the room. I closed my eyes, shaking my head as Ballard watched him in disgust.

* * *

 **SAM'S INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY**

After Dean was gone, Ballard wanted to head back over and talk to Sam again. I walked behind her and Sheridan, hoping to God that Sam got the hell out of there by now.

The moment the door was open, I heard an audible gasp from Ballard as she entered the now empty room, the only traces left from Sam were the cup of coffee, note and an open window.

"What the hell? Where is he?" Sheridan asked, moving over to the window, looking down the four story drop. "What'd he do? The fire escape's way over…"

"These two guys." Ballard muttered, picking up the note on the table. She glanced back at me for a moment before looking to Sheridan, handing him the note.

" _Hilts and McQueen_?"

" _Hilts_ is _Steve McQueen_ 's character in _The Great Escape_. Make sure the room you keep suspects in is more secure next time." I said, gaining a dirty look from Sheridan as I moved towards the door. "Call me if you find him."

* * *

My heart was pounding furiously in my chest as I walked away from the police station. I couldn't believe I actually had pulled that off. Though I knew I wouldn't have been able to do it without Bobby's help.

I made my way to my motel to get my stuff together and change out of this suit before heading back out to the phone-booth, looking up the address of the first motel listed, hoping Sam would already be there.

By the time I arrived at the motel it was already dark. I headed into the office of the motel, seeing an older man sitting behind the desk, reading a magazine. I cleared my throat, shooting him a small smile when he stood.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Did a _Jim Rockford_ check in here by any chance?"

"Yes, he did. Room eight."

"Thanks." I smiled, leaving the small office to head to Sam's room. I gently knocked on the door, waiting patiently as I heard movement on the inside, watching the door open slowly. Once Sam saw it was just me, he moved to the side.

"Are you alright?" I asked, walking into the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine, _Miss Lawyer_." Sam remarked, shutting the door behind me. "Are you?"

"I'm okay. Don't call me that." I muttered, looking at the papers sprawled out on the desk. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much. Just trying to figure some stuff out. See if anything happened on or around Ashland." Sam answered, moving over to the desk to move around a few papers. "How'd you come up with that, anyway?"

"Just realized it was an anagram and looked for things around here with those letters." I shrugged. "Ashland was the only one that really fit...I just can't figure out what the extra letters are for. Maybe they don't even matter."

"Maybe."

"Anything you need me to do?"

"Not really." Sam shrugged, staring at the dark purple bags under my eyes. "Hey, why don't you sleep for a little bit?"

"No, I'm alright." I said, just the thought of sleeping making me tense.

"You know, if Dean knew you weren't sleeping I think he'd pretty upset." Sam muttered, absentmindedly flipping through a folder. "And if he knew about the nightmares, he'd be even more worried."

"What makes you think I'm having nightmares?"

"'Cause you've been avoiding sleep like the plague." Sam answered simply.

"Well, I-" I paused, having no excuse. "I don't think he'd be all that worried.

"Really?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, you know him better than that."

"Well, with everything that's happened..."

"About that." Sam said, taking a deep breath, the way he started the conversation catching me off guard. "I've kind of been thinking about it a lot and...well, I- I mean what happened at the hospital-"

"Sam, you know I'm sorry-"

"Wait. I- I just think understand what happened."

"What do you mean?" I asked, honestly confused.

"You- you were thinking about Dean. You were thinking about seeing the guy you love...die." Sam muttered, getting choked up. "I mean, I know I would've done anything... _anything_ to prevent Jess from-" He paused, looking away as tears flooded into his eyes. "Anyway, I just...I get it."

"I tried to stop John. Really, I did." I said, repeating in my head what Bobby had said to me last night.

There wasn't anything more I could have done to stop him.

"Yeah. Dad didn't really listen all that well." Sam muttered.

"No." I said quietly, taking a deep breath. "I know I should have said something, but I was...confused. I didn't know what to do. And then after he came back, it was just- it was too late. I told him that we could try and get him out of it but..."

"But what?"

"If he went back on it, the demon would have..."

"Would've-" Sam started, pulling in a shaky breath. "Dean would have died."

"Yeah." I murmured, tears pooling my eyes.

"I don't know what to say."

"I guess there's nothing to say." I shrugged, looking back up at him.

"I know you've apologized a lot and I just- I just wanted to say that it's okay."

"Thank you." I nodded, feeling some weight lift off of me.

"But also that I'm sorry." Sam added.

" _You're_ sorry?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I just- Tori, for the longest time you were the only person I could ever talk to. About a normal life, not wanting to hunt. You understood me, you listened. And all of that, it meant a lot. It still does. You've been there for me, and I- I can't just turn my back on you. Especially since I really don't think you did anything wrong."

"Really?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah." Sam said. "And most importantly, you're my sister."

I stared at him in slight shock for a moment, tears springing to my eyes as he said what he did, opening his arms. I felt a small smile spread across my face as I went over, hugging him.

"And listen, Dean, he- he knows. He does. It's just gonna take him a little longer to admit it, but he'll come around." Sam said, placing a kiss on top of my head.

"If you say so." I mumbled, playing with the ends of my hair as we stepped away from each other.

"He will, Tori. He loves you too much."

"Yeah..." I murmured, taking a deep breath. Sam nodded, going back to the papers on the desk to look them over again.

I knew it was true that Dean loved me. I never really questioned that. But the way he felt about all of this, I just didn't know what it meant for us. But even with that thought weighing heavily on my mind, it helped to know that Sam and I were pretty much okay again.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, echoing through the quiet room. Sam and I shared a wide-eyed look, glancing over at the dark wood door. Sam slowly got up, making his way across the room. I stayed a few feet away, but moved behind him just in case. My eyes widened as I peeked around Sam, seeing Detective Ballard there.

Just as I was about to try and sneak towards the door, she pushed her way inside, stopping short when she saw me there.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked suspiciously, furrowing her brow as she leaned to the side to try and see my face as I turned away from her. "Julia?"

"Uh, no." I mumbled, turning around with a sigh. We're screwed. "Well, yes – but no."

"Oh my god. She was the woman the witness saw with you and your brother." Ballard muttered, her shocked eyes darting between Sam and I. "You-"

Just as she moved to pull out her phone, her sleeve moved up and I saw red marks on her wrists that definitely weren't there before. "What are those?"

Ballard paused, a strange look coming into her eyes as they darted from my face down to her wrist. She lowered her hand, putting her phone back in her pocket. "I must be losing my mind."

"How did you find us?" I asked.

"Your brother." She said, looking over to Sam. "He told me how to find you after..."

"After what?"

"Something happened at the station." She said, taking a big breath. "In the bathroom, I saw...something."

" _Something_?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Something...strange. And then these appeared." Ballard told us, holding out her hands to fully show us the marks on her wrists.

"Alright, you're going to have to tell me exactly what you saw." Sam said.

"This is crazy." Ballard muttered, shaking her head. "You two are fugitives. I should be arresting you."

"Well, you know what? You can arrest us later. After you live through this. But right now you've gotta talk to us. Okay?" Sam asked. Ballard nodded slowly, moving into the room a little more so we could close the door. "Okay, great. Now, this spirit. What did it look like?"

"She was, um, really pale, and her throat was cut, and her eyes, they were like this deep, dark red? It appeared like she was trying to talk to me. But she couldn't. It was just...a lot of blood." Ballard muttered, looking away for a moment.

"You know what? Here. I've been researching every girl that's ever died or gone missing from Ashland Street." Sam said, walking over to the table, picking up a stack of crime scene pictures.

"How'd you get those?" Ballard asked. "Those are from crime scenes. And booking photos."

"You have your job, I have mine." Sam said, handing her the pictures. "Here. I need you to look through these, tell me if you recognize anyone."

Ballard sat at the table, slowly going through the small stack of pictures until she stopped on one of a young, blonde woman, staring down at it. "This is her. I'm sure of it."

" _Claire Becker._ " I read from the file attached to the mug shot. " _Twenty eight years old, disappeared about eight or nine months ago._ "

"But I don't even know her. I mean, why would she come after me?"

"Well, before her death, she was arrested twice. For dealing heroin." Sam said. "You ever work narcotics?"

"Yeah, Pete and I did. Before Homicide."

"You ever bust her?"

"Not that I remember."

"It says that she was last seen entering twenty-nine-eleven, Ashland Street. Police searched the place, didn't find anything." I said, looking up at Sam. "Guess we gotta check it out ourselves. See if we can find her body."

"What?" Ballard asked, her eyes going wide.

"We gotta salt and burn her bones."

"It's the only way to put her spirit to rest." Sam added.

"Of course it is." She sighed, shaking her head as she stood to her feet. The three of us left then, taking her car over to the address.

* * *

 **ASHLAND STREET – NIGHT**

We approached a huge, dark warehouse, the only thing illuminated parts of the building was the moonlight shining through cracks and holes in the dirty windows.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Ballard asked, looking between Sam and I.

"I'll let you know when we find it." Sam muttered, shining his flashlight up a flight of stairs. "I'm gonna go check up there."

"Alright." I replied, nodding for Ballard to follow me. She reluctantly walked with me, obviously not liking that she had to listen to us.

"So what's your role in all of this?"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the fact that she was still trying to get information even in a situation like this. "Not so sure that matters right now."

"Oh, it does." She scoffed. "Dean Winchester is a murderer. Now, if you're involved in any way at all, I need to know."

"You know what?" I snapped, spinning around on my heel to face her. "Dean Winchester has never killed _anyone_. He's saved more lives than I can count, including mine. He's gone out of his way to protect people. He even sold out his family to save one of the people that are trying to get him locked up for the rest of his life...or killed. So don't say that shit to me."

Ballard raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips as she stared at me. "Then explain how a perfect description of him was drawn up in St. Louis by a girl who said he tried to kill her? How he just happened to be at Karen's house _right after_ she was murdered?"

"Listen, everything he said in that confession was true." I told her.

"Oh, right. The confession. How did you even manage to get in there and pretend you were a lawyer anyway?"

"I have my ways." I mumbled.

"Right." Ballard said, shaking her head. "So, based on what he said, there was just some _shape-shifter_ running around St. Louis with his face? I'm supposed to believe all of this?"

"After what you've seen today, you should. Because guess what? Your worst nightmares _are_ real. They're out there and they'll try to kill you any chance they get. And this one, it's coming _for you_." I said, narrowing my eyes at her. "Now I don't know why, but there's gotta be a reason." Ballard folded her arms, taking a breath as she shook her head. "You can keep trying to deny it, but you had to believe everything at least a little bit to ask us for help, so let's stop the interrogation before you end up getting hurt."

Ballard was about to speak again when something behind me caught her attention. She closed her mouth and she slowly pointed over my shoulder, her eyes widening. "Look."

I quickly turned around, seeing the faint outline of a woman there before she disappeared. "Hey, Sam!"

I heard Sam rush down the stairs, hurriedly coming over to us. "Hey, I'm here. What happened?"

"Claire..." Ballard muttered.

"Where?"

"She was right there." I said, shining the flashlight over where the spirit had been.

"Did she attack you?" Sam asked, looking over to Ballard.

"No. No, she was just like, reaching out to me." Ballard said, glancing up at me with scared eyes that she tried to hide. I moved over to the window that was half blocked by a heavy looking shelving unit, calling Sam over to help me move it.

Once we got it far enough away, we could see the whole window – the name of the building on the outside of it in big letters.

 _Ashland Supplies_

"Our little mystery word." I muttered.

"Now the extra letters make sense." Sam said, moving to the wall behind us as he pulled out an EMF meter.

"What is that?" Ballard asked.

"Spirits and certain remains give off electromagnetic frequencies."

"So if Claire's body was here, that would indicate that?"

"Yeah. Well, that's the theory." Sam mumbled, moving it slowly over the brick wall when it started to purr.

Sam put the meter away before going over to one of the shelves to pick up an old sledgehammer. I grabbed another one off the floor and helped him break the brick wall open where the meter buzzed. Once there was a good sized hole we could see into, I pulled out my flashlight, shining it inside to see a lump of something covered in old fabric.

"Yeah, there's definitely something in there." I muttered. Sam moved back to my side, helping me push a few loose and brittle pieces of the wall out of the way with his elbows for a moment before glancing over at me.

"You know, this is bothering me."

"Well, you are digging up a corpse." Ballard said, a grimace on her face.

"No, not that." Sam shook his head. "That's, uh- that's pretty par for the course, actually."

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's just- I mean, no vengeful spirit I've ever tussled with wanted to be wasted, so why the hell would Claire lead us to her remains? It doesn't make any sense."

"Huh." I mumbled, realizing how right he actually was. "What's going on here then?"

"Only one way to find out." Sam said, taking a deep breath as I helped him pull the shroud-wrapped body out of the wall.

Sam pulled out his pocket knife, cutting the ropes holding the shroud around it. I unfolded it, revealing the same blonde girl from the mug shot. Ballard came over then, slowly reaching down to touch the small necklace Claire wore around her neck.

"That necklace mean something to you?" Sam asked.

"I've seen it before. It's rare. It was custom made over on Carson street." She replied, pulling an identical necklace out of her shirt. "I have one just like it. Pete gave it to me."

"Now this all makes perfect sense." Sam said, glancing over to me.

"I'm sorry?" Ballard asked.

"Yeah. You see, Claire is not a vengeful spirit – she's a death omen."

"Excuse me?"

"Claire's not killing anyone. She's trying to warn them. You see, sometimes spirits, they don't want vengeance, they want justice." Sam explained. "Which is why she led us here in the first place. She wants us to know who her killer is."

I nodded, glancing up to Ballard. "How much do you know about your partner?"

Ballard thought for a moment when her eyes widened slightly. "Oh my god."

"What?"

"About a year ago, some heroin went missing from lockup. Obviously it was a cop. We never found out who did it. But whoever did it would need someone to fence their product."

"A dealer. Somebody like Claire."

"Oh my god..."

"Alright, come on." I said, nodding for Sam to help me so we could get out of here.

* * *

 **HIGHWAY – NIGHT**

Ballard was behind the wheel, driving down the dark stretch of road away from the warehouse when her phone started ringing. She fished it out of her pocket, listening to the person on the other side for a moment.

"Alright. Thanks." She said, snapping the phone shut.

"What is it?" Sam asked, leaning forward to the front seat a little bit.

"Pete just left the precinct." Ballard said, glancing over at me. "With Dean."

"What?" I asked, my eyes going wide.

"He said the prisoner had to be transferred, and he just took him. Dispatch has been calling, but he won't answer the radio."

"Radio?" Sam asked. "He took a county vehicle?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then they should have a lo-jack, you've just gotta get it turned on." Sam said, glancing over at me, noticing my tense state. "He's gonna be alright."

"Yeah." I nodded, taking a deep breath. Ballard glanced over, throwing me a strange look before going back to the road, her hands tightening on the steering wheel.

* * *

 **CLEARING – NIGHT**

Ballard stopped her car a good distance away from where Sam had tracked the vehicle Sheridan used so we wouldn't be seen. We walked through a small treeline, keeping ourselves hidden as we made our way to a small clearing. I could hear Dean's voice, though it was muffled, I couldn't make out any words until we got closer. And by that time, I just wanted to get over there.

"Hey, I'm cool in the van. You go do what you gotta do." Dean muttered. Sheridan didn't say anything, hauling Dean out of the van, throwing him to the ground.

"You're a cocky son of a bitch. You think those people in St. Louis are gonna buy that crap you're peddling? Here's the thing, you're not gonna make it to St. Louis. You're gonna die trying to escape." Sheridan said.

"Wait! Wait. Let's- let's talk about this. I mean, you don't want to do something that you're gonna regret later." Dean said, glancing back as Sheridan pulled out a gun, aiming it at his head. "Or maybe you do."

I was just about to call out to try and distract him, when Ballard stepped out of the treeline. "Pete! Put the gun down."

"Diana?" Sheridan asked, shock written on his face as he glanced between her, Sam and I. "How'd you find me?"

"I know about Claire."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Put the gun down!" Ballard ordered, pulling her own gun out. My eyes widened as I watched them, trying to figure out how the hell we were gonna get out of this.

"Oh, I don't think so. You're fast. I'm pretty sure I'm faster."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I didn't do anything, Diana."

"It's a little late for that." Ballard scoffed.

"It wasn't my fault." Sheridan said. "Claire was trying to turn me in, I had no choice."

"And Tony? Karen?"

"Same thing! Tony scrubbed the money, he got skittish, and then he wanted to come clean. I'm sure he told Karen everything. It was a mess. I had to clean it up. I just panicked."

I locked eyes with Dean, silently asking him what the hell we were gonna do. He just looked back down to the ground, shaking his head. Sam and I shared a nervous look, staying still as Ballard and Sheridan argued.

"How many more people are gonna die over this, Pete?" Ballard asked.

"There's a way out. This Dean kid's a fucking gift. We could pin the whole thing on him. Right? No trial, nothing. Just, just one more dead scumbag."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Sheridan, who pointed his gun at Dean's head again. I moved forward, wanting badly to do something, when Sam stopped me.

"No one will question it. Diana, please...I still love you." Sheridan said quietly. Ballard took a deep breath, slowly lowering her gun.

"Oh, great. We're dead." I mumbled.

"Thank you. Thank you." Sheridan murmured, turning back to Dean with a raised gun. As soon as he turned, Ballard brought her gun back up, shooting him in the stomach.

"Then why don't you buy me another necklace, you ass?" Ballard snapped. My eyes widened as Sheridan tackled her legs, knocking her to the ground.

I certainly didn't see that coming.

I quickly made my way over to Dean, who had moved out of the way, making sure he wasn't hit as Sam tried to go for Ballard's gun. Just before he could grab it, Sheridan kicked it out of his reach. Claire appeared behind Sheridan then, grinning down at him through her blood-covered hair. He gasped as he turned, seeing her staring down at him.

Just then, one gunshot went off, echoing through the woods around us as Sheridan fell to the ground. Only this time, he didn't get back up.

Ballard stood there, staring down at the body for a moment as I helped Dean get to his feet, catching the keys Sam threw to me so I could unlock the handcuffs. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, never better." Dean mumbled, messaging his wrists where the handcuffs had left small marks.

"Right." I nodded, letting out a heavy sigh. "Yeah."

* * *

By the time all of it was over, the sun was staring to rise, shining a dim light over us as it peaked out from behind the clouds. Ballard came over to the three of us, taking in a breath as her eyes darted between us.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Not really." She answered honestly. "The death omen, Claire, what happens to her now?"

"It should be over. She should be at rest."

"So, uh, what now, officer?" Dean asked.

"Pete did confess to me. He screwed up both your cases royally. I'd say that there's a good chance that we could get your cases dismissed."

"You'd take care of that for us?" Sam asked, sharing a surprised look with Dean and I.

"I hope so. But the St. Louis murder charges? That's another story. I can't help you. Unless...I just happened to turn my back, and you walked away." Ballard muttered, glancing behind us. "I could just tell them that the suspects escaped."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"She's sure." Dean muttered, shooting her a small smile.

"No, it's just- I mean, you could lose your job over something like that."

"Look, what you said before, it's true." Ballard said to me before addressing all of us. "I just want you guys out there doing what you do best. Trust me, I'll sleep better at night."

"Sounds good to me."

"And listen, you need to watch your back. They're gonna be looking for both of you right now." Ballard said, looking between the boys before glancing down to me. "You, they don't know. We should keep it that way, okay? Get out of here. I gotta radio this in."

Ballard turned to walk away when Dean took a small step forward, calling her. "Hey, uh, you wouldn't happen to know where my car is, by chance?"

"It's at the impound yard down on Robertson." Ballard told him, seeing the look on his face, she stopped him before he could even ask for her to take us. "Don't even think about it."

"It's okay. It's alright, don't worry. We'll, uh- we'll just improvise. I mean, we're pretty good at that." Sam said, walking to Dean's side.

"Yeah. I've noticed." Ballard nodded, watching us as we made our way over to the long stretch of road before heading over to the van to make the call.

"Nice lady." Sam commented.

"Yeah, for a cop." Dean scoffed. "Did she look familiar to you?"

"No, why?"

"I don't know." Dean shrugged, glancing over at me, his eyes focusing on the dark purple bruises forming under mine. "Have you slept at all?"

"What?" I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam shoot me an _I told you so_ look, but ignored it, looking up to Dean.

"Have you slept?" Dean repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"Really?"

"Uh huh." I muttered, biting my lip. I could tell Dean knew right away that I was lying, but he thankfully let it go.

"How'd you even get in the station?"

"Bobby. He helped."

"Did Bobby help you figure out _Ashland_?"

"No."

"Huh." Dean mumbled, a few conflicting emotions running across his face. It was almost like he wanted to be proud of me, but just wouldn't let himself right now.

Sam glanced down at me, throwing me a sad look as he bumped his shoulder into mine. I shot him a small smile, shaking my head. Dean didn't miss the interaction, giving Sam a questioning glanced as I looked back down to the road in front of me.

* * *

 **IMPOUND LOT – NIGHT**

Eventually we got to the impound lot just as the moon started to shine, casting a small amount of light over us. After we got the gates open, Dean went in to get the Impala, leaving Sam and I out in front to stand guard.

I let out a small sigh, leaning back against the gate as I yawned, covering my mouth with my sleeve.

"You okay?" Sam asked suddenly, his voice quiet.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y- yeah." I shrugged, glancing over at him.

"Tired?"

"A little, why?"

"You should try and get some sleep in the car." Sam said, giving me his puppy-dog eyes when he saw I was about to object. "Why don't you want to sleep? You can tell me."

"No." I said a bit more harsh than I wanted to, biting my lip as the low hum of the Impala's engine sounded in the distance. Dean drove it out of the lot, stopping outside of the gates to wait for Sam and I as we closed them back up.

"Sure you're okay to drive?" Sam asked Dean, sitting in the passenger side as I got in the backseat.

"Yeah." Dean mumbled, putting the radio on, raising the volume so it filled the car before pulling out onto the main road.

As I thought back to it, I almost couldn't believe what had happened over the past few days. It all seemed like such a blur, and I was completely drained.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little confused and maybe even a bit angry with John. I know it was wrong because he was...gone. But I couldn't help but wonder more and more why the hell he would tell _me_ what he was doing. Especially if he knew the demon could be listening.

The only thing I could imagine was that he knew I wasn't going to let it go when I asked what he really wanted to do with all that stuff he made Sam get.

In a way, I just wish I would have swallowed the lie and not pressed for any truthful answers. But I did.

Then the more he spoke about Dean being gone and how we needed him...I knew it was dangerous, but I felt like I had no other choice but to agree with what John wanted.

It was hard, but I had to allow myself to believe what Bobby had told me. Maybe his words were a little harsh, but it as they reverberated through my mind, I realized they were what I needed right now to wake me up.

And now that I was thinking about everything in a much clearer mindset, I'd finally realized that I really wouldn't have been able to stop John from doing what he did.

I still wished more than anything that I could have changed it, made it so that both John and Dean could have survived somehow...there was no other way around it. It was out of my control. I didn't understand why all these things had to happen, but I guess I wasn't supposed to.

Words really couldn't express how glad I was that Sam and I were alright again, that he had forgiven me. That really helped me feel a lot better.

The only thing I could do now was stay strong and hope that Dean did, too.

* * *

 **I don't know how I really feel about the end here, so I might go back and change it a little bit for my own sake ('cause I just can't stop myself from doing that sometimes lol) so don't worry because it probably won't be much different.**

 **Let's get to the important part of the A/N. I want to have more scheduled updates, so I'm thinking of having Friday being the day that I post. Now, I'm just gonna come right out and say that sometimes it may be every other Friday depending on how much I got to write, or there may even be more than one chapter a week sometimes, but either way, I like the idea of having Friday being the scheduled day I update and I was wondering what you guys thought?**

 **As always, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! :D**


	8. Crossroad Blues

_It was strange glue that held us together  
While we both came apart at the seams  
She said, your place or mine  
While we've still got the time  
So I played along with her schemes _

_But, I don't have the right to be with you tonight  
So please leave me alone with no savior in sight  
I will sleep safe and sound with nobody around me_

 _When faced with my demons  
I clothe them and feed them  
And I smile  
Yes, I smile as they're taking me over  
_…

 _And if I cannot sleep for the secrets I keep  
It's the price I'm willing to meet  
Oh, the end of the night never comes too quickly for me  
The end of the night never comes to quickly for me_

 _ **Catatonia – Strange Glue**_

* * *

A few days had passed since we left Baltimore and needless to say, things were still the same between Dean and I. The radio was almost constantly playing in the Impala just so Dean could avoid conversation with me or Sam.

Though I did want to talk to him, I tended to leave him alone, not wanting to upset him more than I already have. Because it seemed like every time I did try to speak to him about anything that had happened, he'd either change the subject or say he didn't want to talk. Sometimes he'd just get frustrated and walk away.

Dean wasn't the most open person, but he was with me. A lot was going on in his head right now, I knew that much. But this was strange, new territory for us and I hated it.

On this particularly gloomy day that happened to match my mood perfectly, we wound up sitting in a small diner that was practically out in the middle of nowhere after Sam had finally convinced Dean to take a break from driving aimlessly.

I sat next to Sam in one of the dark blue booths, leaving Dean sitting alone across from us as he stared out the big window on the wall next to us. Sam typed away on his laptop and I mindlessly glanced over, furrowing my brow as I leaned in a little closer to the screen to see Dean's mugshot there. I shook my head at the face he'd made, looking up at him.

"So much for our low profile, _Zoolander_." I commented, raising an eyebrow at him as he threw a smirk my way before taking a sip of his coffee. "You've got a warrant in St. Louis, and now you're officially in the Fed's database."

"Dude, I'm like _Dillinger_ or something." Dean mumbled, a grin on his lips.

"I don't think it's very funny. It makes the job harder. We've gotta be a lot more careful now."

"Not all of us." Dean scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Won't be hard for you. They don't even know what you look like."

"Oh, it won't be?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his challenging expression. "I disagree. Because now I have to worry even more about the two of you than I did before."

"Hey." Sam called quietly, looking between Dean and I. "Uh, wshy don't we get back to the case?"

"Wait, wait. What do they got on you?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam.

"Uh...I'm sure they just haven't posted it yet." Sam muttered with a shrug, averting his eyes back to the screen.

"No accessory? Nothing?"

"Shut up."

"You're jealous." Dean laughed.

"No, I'm not." Sam said, shaking his head.

"Oh, my god. Sam." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. "You-"

"I'm not jealous!" Sam exclaimed, making it fairly obvious he was just a little bit jealous.

"Uh-huh. Alright, fine. What do you got on the case there, you innocent, harmless, young man, you?" Dean asked, a big smile on his face. Sam let out a huff, throwing the laptop shut before placing a few pieces of paper on the table.

"Architect Sean Boyden plummeted to his death from the roof of his home – a condominium he designed."

"Build a high-rise and jump off the top of it. That's classy." Dean mumbled. "When did he call animal control?"

"Two days earlier."

"Did he actually say _Black Dog_?" I asked.

"Yeah. A vicious, wild, black dog. The authorities couldn't find it, no one else saw it. In fact, the authorities are a little confused as to how a wild dog could get past the doorman, take the elevator up and start roaming the halls of the cushiest joint in town. After that, no more calls, he doesn't show up for work, two days later he takes a swan dive."

"Do you think we're dealing with an actual Black Dog?" Dean asked.

"Well, maybe."

"Damn. I bet they could hump the crap out of your leg. Look at that one, huh?" Dean smirked, holding up a newspaper clipping with a picture of a huge, black dog. Sam and I glared at him as the grin slipped from his face and he lowered the paper. "What? They could."

"Anyway." I mumbled, looking over at Sam. "What's the lore on it?"

"It's all pretty vague." Sam replied. "I mean, there are spectral black dogs all over the world. But some say they're animal spirits, others say death omens. But whatever they are, they're big and nasty."

"Great." Dean said, sliding out of the booth. "Let's go wrangle some puppies."

I watched him walk out of the diner for a moment before turning to Sam, who let out a small sigh. "He'll come around-"

"That's not even the problem anymore." I said. "He- he's not okay, Sam."

"I know." Sam looked down to the table for a moment before glancing up at me, nodding lightly. "Maybe you could try talking to him."

"He doesn't want to talk to me."

"That's not true."

"Sam-"

"All you can do is try...again." Sam shrugged.

"Yeah." I nodded, sliding out of the booth. "Stay here a minute."

"Sure, yeah." Sam muttered, shooting me a small, encouraging smile as I made my way out to the parking lot, walking over to Dean who was leaning against the driver side door of the Impala.

"Hey, Dean."

"What?" He asked, turning around with that same conflicted look on his face he got whenever he looked at me lately.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Dean, I-" I paused, wringing my hands. "Are you okay?"

"Never better." He muttered sarcastically.

"Please, don't do that."

"Do what?" Dean asked, throwing his arms out. "I-"

"You're not fine." I said, knowing exactly what he was about to say. "Dean, I know you."

"You know, I don't even know why we're having this conversation right now, because _I am fine_." Dean repeated, letting out a small huff as he shook his head.

"You can hardly call this a conversation, Dean. We've barely said anything." I told him, folding my arms.

"Yeah, well..." Dean paused, letting out a breath.

"Dean, I just want to talk to you about...you know, everything."

"Well, I don't want to talk about...any of it right now." Dean said, getting into the driver seat before I could even take another breath.

"Yeah, sure...we'll never talk about it." I sighed to myself as he closed the door and started the car. I jumped a bit when Sam walked up behind me, tapping a finger on my shoulder.

"Everything okay?"

"Not, not really." I said, glancing back at him.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, concern in his eyes as he looked down at me.

"Just...everything." I muttered, shaking my head before quietly moving to sit in the backseat, hearing the radio already playing throughout the car.

In a way, I knew that I couldn't really blame Dean because I, myself, had only realized I couldn't have done anything to stop John only a few days ago. John was his Dad and I couldn't make myself hold it against him that he was still upset with me.

What bothered me was how he wasn't even letting me talk to him about it. Every time I tried to, he'd just brush it off and walk away. That wasn't him, not with me. That wasn't us. We always talked to each other, got stuff straightened out before things went too far because we could both be hard-headed and we knew that.

I could see it in his eyes that part of him wanted to break down and talk to me, and yet there was something else that stopped him and I didn't know what to do.

* * *

 **Greenwood, Mississippi**  
 **MOTEL – DAY**

On the way to Mississippi Sam had found the address of one of Sean's colleagues and once we found a motel, we started getting ready to head over there. I waited for Sam to go into the bathroom to try and speak to Dean again, who was fidgeting with his tie in front of the mirror. He let out an irritated huff, closing his eyes for a moment to take in a deep breath.

I got up from the chair, cautiously making my way over to him. "Let me?"

Dean's eyes snapped open to meet mine in the mirror, staring for a moment before begrudgingly turning around to face me. I took a deep breath as I starting knotting the tie, glancing up into his eyes as he watched me.

"Dean..."

"Yeah."

"You- I mean, you have to know that I never wanted anything to happen...to John." I said quietly, tears forming in my eyes as I kept them on the tie. "I didn't know that what happened was even a possibility."

"Right, yeah." Dean mumbled, his tone not very convincing.

"You don't really think that, do you?" I asked, the worry and slight anger I felt at his tone shining through as my eyes snapped to his. "Please don't say you really think of me like that."

"I-" Dean stopped, thinking for a moment before shaking his head, looking to the ground. "No. I don't."

"Okay...good." I nodded. I felt at least a little bit relieved at the sincere tone I heard in his voice, finishing up the knot before taking a small step back. "I just need for you to tell me what I can do to- to make things better...between us."

Dean looked up at me, staring into my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he looked away. "Tori, I don't- I don't want to talk about this right now."

"You never want to talk, Dean." I said, taking a deep breath.

"Listen, can we just-" Dean paused, pulling his eyes away from mine for a moment before meeting them again. "Can we just finish this job without- without talking about any of it?"

"But-"

"Please?" Dean asked, his eyes pleading as he shot me that look he knew I just couldn't say no to.

"Okay. But when we're done here, we- we have to talk, Dean." I said, looking up at him. "Please, that's all I'm asking."

Dean glanced away from my eyes as he thought over what I said, keeping his trained on the ground. "Alright."

"Yeah?" I asked, a hopeful feeling starting to rise in my chest.

"Yeah." Dean nodded as Sam came out of the bathroom, his mouth popping open a little when he saw that we were talking.

"Want me to-"

"No. Let's just go." Dean said, cutting Sam off as he grabbed the keys off the table before heading outside.

"Tori, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Sam said, walking over to my side.

"It's alright." I shrugged, tightening the ponytail in my hair. "I might be crazy, but I think that may have actually gone somewhere this time."

"Good. I'm glad." Sam smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me in for a small hug. I hugged him back, closing my eyes for a moment. "It'll be okay."

All I can do is hope that he's right.

* * *

 **APARTMENT – DAY**

The white walls of the kitchen we stood in were offset by a dark granite counter counter top and tan cabinets. The room was fairly large with a with a small island in the middle that the dark-haired man we were speaking to leaned against.

"So you and Sean Boyden were business partners for almost ten years?" I asked.

"That's right." He nodded. "Now one more time, this is for…?"

"A tribute to Mr. Boyden. Architectural Digest." Dean said. The man let out a small scoff, laughing lightly. Dean's eyes narrowed as he stared over at the man. "This funny to you?"

"No, it- it's just, a tribute." He paused, shaking his head. "See, Sean always got the tributes. He kills himself, leaves me and his family behind...and well, he gets another tribute."

"Right." I nodded. Someone's a little jealous. "Um, any idea why he'd do such a thing?"

"I- I have no clue. "I mean he lived a charmed life."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"He was a flat-out genius. I mean, I'm capable. But next to him, I- and it wasn't always that way, either."

"No?"

"You wanna know the truth? There was a time where he couldn't even design a pup tent. Hell, ten years ago he's working as a bartender at this place called Lloyds. A complete dive."

"So what changed?"

"You got me. But overnight, he gets this huge commission, and he starts designing. He starts designing the most ingenious buildings anyone has ever seen. It was like, the level of Van Gogh, and Mozart-" He stopped, taking a breath.

"What?" Dean asked, pushing him to finish.

"It's funny. True geniuses, they seem to die young, don't they? To have that kind of talent? Why- why just throw it away?"

* * *

 **ANIMAL SHELTER PARKING LOT – DAY**

Sam turned around in the front seat of the Impala, throwing an arm over the back of it as he looked at me. "So did you and Dean get things straightened out?"

"No, not all of it. Not any of it, really." I muttered, playing with the ends of my hair. "But we will...at least, I hope we will."

"You will."

"You're so optimistic." I muttered dryly, shooting him a small smile to let him know that I did appreciate his optimism. I leaned back in the seat, glancing over to the building to see Dean walking out, making his way over to the Impala.

"So?" Sam asked when his brother got into the driver seat.

"Secretary's name is Carly. She's twenty three, she kayaks...and uh, _they're real_." Dean said, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Dick." I muttered under my breath, shaking my head.

"Hm?" Dean asked innocently, glancing back at me.

"Oh, nothing." I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

Sam looked between the two of us, shooting Dean a hard look before smacking him on the arm. "You didn't happen to ask her if she's seen any black dogs lately, did you?"

"Every complaint called in this week about anything big, black, or dog-like." Dean said, holding up a piece of paper. "There's nineteen calls in all. And, uh-" He paused pulling off a bright pink post-it note, throwing it in Sam's lap. "I don't know what this thing is."

Sam picked it up, reading from it. "You mean Carly's _MySpace_ address?"

"Yeah, _MySpace._ What the hell is that?

"Get with the times, Grandpa." I said, folding my arms.

"Yeah, _Grandpa_." Dean scoffed, taking the pink post-it back from Sam. "That's why she gave me this. Now, seriously. _MySpace_ , is that like some sort of porn site?"

"Oh, Jesus." I mumbled, shaking my head as Sam just stared at his brother with a blank look before going back to the papers in his hands without answering him.

* * *

 **DR. PEARLMAN'S HOUSE – DAY**

Dean parked the Impala long the side of the street, shutting it off as the three of us got out, making our way up the cobblestone walkway and porch to the front door, knocking a few times.

I glanced around at the perfect-looking suburban homes and couldn't help but feel a little sense of nostalgia, remember Rose and Peter. As much as I may have disliked it back then, part of me did long for it now.

"I swear, if this is another freakin' Pomeranian barking in the neighbor's yard..." Dean mumbled just when a pretty dark-haired young woman answered, looking over to him as he smile up at her. "Afternoon, ma'am. Animal Control."

"Oh, someone already came yesterday." She muttered.

"We're just following up." I smiled. "We're looking for Dr. Sylvia Pearlman?"

"Oh." She nodded, moving aside so we could walk into the house. "The Doctor, well, she...I don't know exactly when she'll be back, she left two days ago."

"Okay. And you are?"

"I'm Ms. Pearlman's maid."

"So where did the Doctor go?" Dean asked, looking around the kitchen the woman led us into.

"I'm not sure. She just packed and went. She didn't say where." The maid muttered, looking between the three of us. "That stray dog, did you find it finally?"

"Oh, not yet." Sam answered, shaking his head. "You know, you didn't ever happen to see the dog yourself, did you?"

"Well, no. I never even heard it. I was almost starting to think the Doctor was imagining things, but she's not like that, so..."

"Hey, you know I read she was, uh, chief surgeon at the hospital." Dean said, moving over to a bulletin board beside the refrigerator, looking at a few of the pictures there. "She's gotta be what, forty two, forty three? That's pretty young for that job."

"Youngest in the history of the place. She got the position, oh, about ten years ago?"

"Huh." Dean mumbled, looking at a picture of Dr. Pearlman and couple other people, holding it up for Sam and I.

"An overnight success about ten years ago..." I murmured, glancing back at Dean.

"Yeah, we know a guy like that." Dean said, flipping the picture over, reading some writing on the back. "Oh, look at this. Lloyd's Bar."

* * *

 **LLOYD'S BAR – DAY**

The Impala pulled up a few feet away from Lloyd's bar, and as the three of us got out, I noticed we were literally at a crossroads and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Something caught Dean's eye as we headed towards the bar, and he stopped to look at it.

"Hey."

"What?" I asked, walking over to him with Sam.

"Think someone planted these?" Dean asked, pointing to the small bundles of yellow flowers at each corner of the crossroads we were standing in.

"In the middle of all these weeds?" Sam asked.

"These are, uh, what do you call them?"

"Yarrow flowers." I said, looking up at him.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Used for certain rituals, aren't they?"

"Summoning rituals."

"So, two people become sudden successes about ten years ago, right around the time they were hanging out here at Lloyd's."

"Where there just happens to be a crossroads." Sam muttered, looking over at his brother. "You think?"

Dean walked a few feet away from us to the center of the crossroads, looking around. "This seem about dead center to you?"

"Yeah." I nodded, sliding my hands into my pockets as Dean dug a few inches into the soil.

"Yahtzee." Dean mumbled, pulling out an old rusted box. Sam and I walked over to him, peering into the box as he held it out. I could make out a few small bones and a stoppered jar filled with dirt.

"I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt." Sam said. "And a black cat bone."

"That's serious spell-work. I mean, that's Deep South Hoodoo stuff."

"Used to summon a demon." I murmured, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Not just summon one. Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn thing." Dean scoffed, looking over at me. "You know, 'cause that always ends good." I let out a low huff, ignoring his jab as I took a deep breath. "Whoever this demon is, it's back and it's collecting. And that doctor lady? Wherever she's running? She ain't running fast enough."

"And all those dogs they were seeing? They're not Black Dogs, they're Hellhounds." Sam said. "So all this- it's just like the Robert Johnson legend, right? I mean, selling your soul at the crossroads, kind of deal?"

"Yeah, except that wasn't a legend. I mean, you know his music." Dean said, glancing up at Sam as he shrugged. "You don't know Robert Johnson's songs? Sam, there's occult references all over his lyrics. I mean, _Crossroad Blues_? _Me and the Devil Blues_? _Hellhound on My Trail_?"

"The story goes, he died choking on his own blood." I added. "That he was hallucinating and muttering about big evil dogs."

"And now it's happening all over again." Sam muttered. "We've gotta figure out if anyone else struck any bargains around here."

"Great. So we've gotta clean up these peoples' mess for them?" Dean asked. "I mean, they're not exactly squeaky clean. Nobody put a gun to their head and forced them to play _Let's Make A Deal_."

"So we're just gonna leave them to die?" Sam asked.

"Somebody goes over Niagara in a barrel, you gonna jump in and try to save them?"

"Dean."

"Alright. Fine." Dean sighed, pulling out the picture in the box. "Rituals like this, you've got to put your own photo into the mix, right? So this guy probably summoned this thing. Let's go and see if anyone inside knows him. If he's still alive."

* * *

 **LLOYD'S BAR – DAY**

The three of us made our way into the dimly lit bar, the dirty windows keeping a lot of the sunshine out of the room. There were a few people around, most of them playing pool, getting drunk at three in the afternoon. Just a typical day in a small, shady bar.

The guy glanced up at me, a small smirk appearing on his face as I stood there. I glanced back at Dean, seeing his eyes immediately narrow at the bartender. I couldn't help but think of that whole _Carly the receptionist,_ so while it may have been childish considering the situation we were in outside of the job, I figured it couldn't hurt considering this was a good way to get information out of the guy.

Better than bribing him with money.

I plucked the picture of the man out of Dean's fingers, making my way over to the back of the room where the bartender was wiping down the bar with a small rag. "Hi."

"Hello." He smiled, putting the rag down as he looked me over. "What can I get for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me find someone?" I asked, leaning down on the bar.

"Oh, yeah? Maybe that someone is right in front of you, sweetheart." He shot me a toothy grin, leaning own on the bar in front of me, licking his lips. Dean let out a low groan behind me as I audibly heard his teeth clench shut.

"Maybe." I muttered, biting my lip as I tried to not roll my eyes. I glanced behind me to see a small grin spread across Sam's face as he looked over to see his brother's annoyed expression. Even though he was still pissed at me, Dean was fuming.

"You know, I get off work in about ten minutes." The bartender smiled. "We can head over to my place if you want."

"Well, actually, I have a question."

"Anything for you." He muttered, probably trying to sound sexy.

I forced another smile on my face, sliding the small picture in front of him on the bar. "Do you recognize his man, by any chance?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, he comes in here a lot."

"Do you happen to know his name?"

"Hey, why do you wanna mess around with this old guy? I get off work in ten minutes, we could get outta here-"

"Alright, alright." Dean interrupted, stepping next to me before ripping the small picture out of my hand, slapping it down on the table. "What's this guy's name?"

"Hey, we're talking here." The bartender said, narrowing his eyes at Dean.

"Not anymore, buddy." Dean snapped, pushing the picture closer. Something in his eyes made the guy back off a bit, standing upright again. "Name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I don't think you wanna find out what would happen if you didn't."

"George." The bartender muttered. "George Darrow."

We didn't stay after that, heading back outside to the Impala so Sam could find George's address on the laptop. I could tell Dean was angry with me, walking far in front of Sam and I, so I took a few quick steps forward, moving over to his side.

"Hey, I'm sorry."

"No you're not." Dean mumbled.

"You flirt with girls in front of me all the time."

"Well, I-"

"You, what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I haven't done that in a while." Dean said, turning back to me.

"What about Carly?"

"Who?" Dean asked, complete confusion covering his features.

"Oh my god." I mumbled, shaking my head as I let out a low laugh. " _MySpace_ girl?"

"I didn't flirt with her."

"It's amazing how much I don't believe that."

"You can believe whatever you want."

"Hey, how else were we supposed to find out this guys name?" I asked, watching Dean as he got in the driver seat, shutting the door without a word.

Dean usually never got _that_ jealous, but with the situation we were in, I guess I should have known better. Either way, we got the information we needed.

* * *

 **DARROW HOME – DAY**

Once we made it to the apartment building, we made our way up a wide set of old, creaking wooden stairs to the fourth floor where George Darrow lived.

"Well, this house probably ain't up next on MTV Cribs, is it?" Dean muttered.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "So whatever kind of deal he made-"

"Wasn't for cash. Who knows, maybe this place is full of babes in Princess Leia bikinis." Dean smirked, glancing back at Sam, who sighed. "No, I'm just saying, this guy's got one epic bill come due. Hope at least he asked for something fun."

"Can't say I completely disagree." I said as we reached the landing, stopping in front of George Darrow's apartment. I glanced down at the floor in front of the door, seeing some black powder lined there, crouching down to run my fingers over it. "Look at this."

"What is that, pepper?" Dean asked, crouching down next to me as the door opened. I looked up to see a middle-aged man with graying hair standing there.

"Who the hell are you?" He snapped, narrowing his eyes at me as I stood back up.

"George Darrow?"

"I'm not buying anything." George muttered, starting to close the door.

"Whoa, whoa, looks like you went for the wrong shaker there." Dean chuckled, nodding down to the black powder. "Usually when you want to keep something evil out you go for the salt."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Talking about this." Dean said, holding up the small picture of George. "Tell me, you seen that Hellhound yet?"

I rolled my eyes, slightly moving in front of Dean. "Listen, we want to help. Please, just give us five minutes."

George stared down at me for a moment, glancing behind the three of us before reluctantly stepping aside, letting us into his apartment that was covered in various paintings of different sizes, some completed – others looking like they had just been started. George closed the door behind us, moving over to a small bar to pour himself a drink.

"So what is that stuff out front?" Sam asked, watching the man.

"Goofer dust." George muttered, taking a sip of his drink as he noticed the blank looked on our faces. "What, you three think you know something about something, but not Goofer dust?"

"Well, we know a little about a lot of things. Just enough to make us dangerous." Dean said as I rolled my eyes, catching a small brown sack tied closed with twine that George threw to me.

"What is it?"

"Hoodoo. My grandma taught me. Keeps out demons."

"Demons we know." Dean said, poking at the bag in my hands.

"A little too well." I mumbled, moving the bag out of his reach.

"Well, then...maybe it'll do you some good." George muttered, moving over to a chair. "Four minutes left."

"Mr. Darrow, we know you're in trouble." Sam said, taking a small step forward.

"Yeah, that you got yourself into." Dean muttered under his breath.

"But it's not hopeless, alright?" Sam said, glancing back at Dean before looking to George. "There's gotta be something we can do."

"Listen, I get that you kids want to help. But sometimes a person makes their bed, they've just got to lie down in it. I'm the one called that demon in the first place."

"If you don't mind me asking...what- what did you do it for?" I asked.

"I was weak. I mean, who don't want to be great? Who don't want their life to mean something? I just- I just never thought about the price."

"Was it worth it?" Dean asked.

"Hell no. 'Course, I asked for talent. Should've gone for fame. I'm still broke and lonely. Just now I got this pile of paintings don't nobody want. But that wasn't the worst." George muttered, glancing up at us as I nodded for him to continue. "The demon didn't leave. I never counted on that. After our deal was done the damn thing stayed at Lloyd's for a week. Just chatting. Making more deals. I tried to warn folks...but, I mean, who's going to listen to an old drunk?"

"How many others are there?" Sam asked.

"Uh, the architect, that doctor lady – I kept up with them. They've been in the papers. 'Least they got famous."

"Who else, George? Come on, think." Dean insisted.

"One more. Uh, nice guy, too. Hudson. Evan, I think. I don't know what he asked for. Don't matter now. We done for." George shrugged, taking another sip of his drink.

Something about what he'd said bothered me, and I found myself getting upset over what he was saying – even though I knew it was true.

"No." I muttered, shaking my head. "No, there's gotta be a way."

"You don't get it!" George exclaimed, standing up. "I don't want a way!"

"Look, you don't-"

"I called that thing! I brought it on myself. I brought it on them. I'm going to hell, one way or another. All I want is to finish my last painting. Day or two, I'm done. I'm just trying to hold them off 'til then. Buy a little time." He muttered, taking a deep breath before looking back up to us. "Okay. Time you went, go help somebody that wants help."

"We can't just-"

"Get out! I got work to do."

"You don't really want to die." I said, looking up at him.

"I don't? I'm- I'm tired." George sighed, looking up at us with exhausted eyes.

"Come on." Sam muttered, tugging lightly on my arm. I glanced back at the boys, nodding once before following them out of the apartment.

I wanted to help George, but I knew that you couldn't really help someone who doesn't want it.

All we could do now was hope that we could get over to Evan Hudson's house in time so we could at least try to stop this from happening to someone else.

* * *

 **HUDSON HOUSE – NIGHT**

Dean parked the Impala in front of the driveway of a white and light blue hour, letting out a sigh as he pulled the keys from the ignition before getting out without a word.

We were tense and I knew exactly what all of us were thinking – this job, it hit home. Way too hard.

Sam and I followed Dean up another stone path to the front porch, knocking lightly on the dark blue door. I heard some hurried footsteps and shuffling around before the door cracked open a few inches to reveal half of the man's face.

"Yes?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Evan Hudson?" I asked, leaning to the side slightly to try and see him.

"You ever been to a bar called Lloyd's? Would have been about ten years ago." Dean said abruptly. Evan's eyes got wide and he quickly slammed the door in our faces, locking it. Dean shook his head, letting out a loud huff. "Come on, we're not demons!"

"Any other bright ideas?" Sam asked, eyebrows raised. Dean rolled his eyes, gently moving me over as he set himself on his feet before knocking the door open in one kick.

To be honest, if things weren't the way they were right now – that totally would have turned me on.

We made our way through the house, hearing Evan's footsteps as he ran into one of the rooms towards the back of the first floor. The door clicked shut just when we got in front of it. I glanced over at Dean as he prepared to kick this door down too. Sam shook his head, catching Dean's leg mid-air, giving him a pointed look as he turned the handle and opened the door.

"Evan?" Sam called, slowly walking into the room. I glanced around, only seeing a small couch, a few bookshelves and a desk in front of the window on the back wall.

"Please!" Evan cried, jumping out from behind a bookshelf. "Don't hurt me."

"We're not going to hurt you, alright?" Sam told him, holding his hands up. "We're here to help you."

"We know all about the genius deal you made." Dean said.

"What? How?"

"Doesn't matter." Sam said. "All that matters is, we're gonna try and stop it."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Well, you don't." Dean muttered. "But you're kinda running low on options there, buddy-boy."

" _Can_ you stop it?" Evan asked, swallowing hard as he paced.

"We- we don't know." I told him honestly. "We'll try."

"I don't want to die." Evan muttered, his voice shaking.

"Of course you don't, not now." Dean mumbled, taking a few steps forward as he spoke. "What'd you ask for anyway, Evan? Huh? Never need Viagra? Bowl a perfect game? What?"

"My wife."

"Right." Dean laughed. "Getting the girl. Well, that's worth a trip to hell for."

"Dean, stop." Sam interjected, shooting his brother another look.

"No. He's right. I made the deal." Evan said, his eyes darting between the three of us. "Nobody twisted my arm, that... _woman_ , or whatever she was, at the bar? She said I could have anything I wanted. I thought she was nuts at first, but...I don't know how to- I was desperate."

"Desperate?"

"Julie was dying."

"You did it to save her?" Dean asked, glancing over at me before looking back to Evan.

"She had cancer. They'd stopped treatment, they were moving her into hospice. They kept saying a matter of days. So yeah, I made the deal. And I'd do it again. I'd have died for her on the spot." Evan said.

"Did you ever think about her in all this?"

"I did this for her."

"You sure about that?" Dean asked, advancing towards Evan as he cowered back slightly. "I think you did it for yourself so you wouldn't have to live without her. But guess what? She's going to have to live without you now."

"Dean, stop it." I said, moving over to him.

"But what if she knew how much it cost? What if she knew it cost your soul? How do you think she'd feel?"

"Okay, that's enough." Sam said, pulling him back slightly before looking over to Evan. "You just sit tight, alright? We're going to figure this out."

I watched Sam led Dean out of the room, pushing him out into the hallway before closing the office door behind them.

"I just wanted to save her." Evan muttered, tears in his eyes.

"I know."

"But doing what I did, it was stupid."

"Yeah. A little bit. But I- I understand."

"Really? You sell your soul for anybody lately?" Evan asked, trying to lighten the heavy situation.

"No. But I know someone that did." I said, glancing back at him. At first he thought I was joking, until he saw the serious look in my eyes and quickly sobered up again.

* * *

 **HALLWAY – NIGHT  
** DPOV

I pulled the small bag of Goofer Dust out of my pocket, handing it over to Sam. "You throw George's hoodoo at that Hellhound, keep it away from Evan as long as you can. I'm gonna go to the crossroads and summon the demon."

"Summon-" Sam started, his eyes going wise. "Are you nuts?"

"Maybe a little. But I can trap it. I can exorcise it, and I can buy us time to figure out something more permanent."

"Yeah, but how much time?"

"I don't know, a while." I shrugged. "I mean, it's not easy for those suckers to claw their way back from hell and into the sunshine."

"No. No way." Sam said, shaking his head. "Tori's not gonna let you do this."

"You're not allowed to say no, Sammy. Neither is Tori. Not unless you've got a better idea."

"Dean, you can forget it, alright? I'm not letting you summon that demon. Tori won't either."

"Tori doesn't have to know."

"Dean, no."

"Why not? Why can't I do this?"

"Because I don't like where your head is at right now, that's why not."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You know, you've been on edge...for a while now."

"No I haven't."

"Yeah, you have. And I know why."

"We don't have time for this." I said, trying to move past him.

"It's Dad." Sam said, stopping me in my tracks. "It's because of what happened with Dad and Tori."

"Sam-"

"No, Dean. You can't keep doing this. You can't keep brushing things off like they're nothing." Sam said, taking a step towards me.

"I'm not brushing anything off! I think about it all the time. Like how Dad struck a deal with that yellow-eyed son of a bitch for me and Tori-"

"Tori, what? You were gonna die, Dean." Sam exclaimed quietly, trying to keep it down so Tori and Evan wouldn't hear. "Tori was dealing with Dad, what was she supposed to do? Handcuff him to the bed?"

Sam was right. I knew he was, but I couldn't let myself accept it.

"I-" I paused, shaking my head. "I don't know."

"And now, you're barely even talking to her." Sam said.

"Sam-"

"She's not doing good either, Dean." Sam said, nodding when he took in the confused look on my face. "Not only does she have to deal with what happened back at the hospital...she's been- she's been having nightmares."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling irrational jealousy run through me. "She told _you_ about them?"

"No." Sam muttered, shooting me a look that said he caught onto how I reacted before I tried to cover it up. "But I know a thing or two about bad dreams. She said she didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to bother either of us with it. But it seemed pretty bad."

I glanced down to the ground, taking a deep breath as I tried to stop myself from running into the room to ask if she was okay now that I knew all of this.

Had I really been so blind to how she was feeling just because I was too focused on myself? I immediately felt ashamed, more guilt piling on top of all the rest.

"Sam, I-" I stopped, hearing the volume of Evan's voice rise in panic as he spoke to Tori. "Just keep him alive, okay?"

"Dean-" Sam called as I turned on my heel, making my way out to the Impala.

I needed to keep a level head right now, I couldn't mess this up.

* * *

 **OFFICE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

"I can hear it. It's outside." Evan said, his voice panicked.

"You're gonna be okay. You're okay." I told him, trying to calm down as I felt my stomach start flopping around.

I could hear a very low growl come from outside the window, faint snarls echoing in the distance and looked back towards the office doors.

Sam came in, quickly closing the door behind him with the bag of Goofer dust in his hand.

"Where's Dean?" I asked, hearing the growls get louder outside.

"He uh- he went to get something from the Impala." Sam muttered.

"What?" I asked, my eyes going wide. "Is he crazy?! They're coming and he's out there?"

"Already?" Sam asked, quickly putting a line of Goofer dust in front of the doors.

"Oh my god." Evan muttered nervously, looking around. "I can hear them, they're getting closer!"

"I have to go get Dean." I said, moving towards the door. Sam caught me around my mid-section, holding me back.

"Tori, no."

"Why not?" I asked, looking up at him, knowing immediately that something was wrong. "He's not just getting something from the car is he?"

"Tori-"

"Where is he?!"

"He went to the crossroads." Sam mumbled.

"What?!" I yelled, my breathing becoming erratic. A panic attack loomed over my head as the sounds of the deep, echoing barks got even closer.

* * *

 **CROSSROADS – NIGHT  
** DPOV

Holding the small box in one hand, I placed the small picture of myself, the last thing needed in the box, before closing it and burying it in the center of the crossroads. I stared down at the dirt, momentarily realize how stupid this probably was before standing upright to see a dark-haired woman in a skintight black dress standing across from me.

Well, damn...I certainly wasn't expecting that.

"So, what brings a guy like you to a place like this?" She asked, her dark red lips stretching into a smile.

"I'm just glad it worked." I mumbled.

"First time?"

"You could say that."

"Oh, come on now. Don't sell yourself short. I know all about you, Dean Winchester." She said, her eyes glowing red for a moment before going back to brown.

"So, you know who I am."

"I get the newsletter."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense." I said. "What have you heard?"

"Well, I heard you were handsome, but...you're just edible." She smiled, leaning to the side slightly to peer around me. "Though I did hear that your little pet is always with you. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed that she's not here."

"Tori?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Of course."

"She's not my pet."

"Right." She scoffed, chuckling lightly. "What can I do for you, Dean?"

"Maybe we should do this in my car. Nice and private."

"Sounds good to me." The demon smiled, following me as I turned towards the Impala. I felt the nerves set in and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

* * *

 **HUDSON HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

I watched Sam and he opened the bag of dust, putting it in good sized circle around Evan before going to line the one window in the room, the vents and anywhere else they could get in.

"What is that stuff?" Evan asked.

"Goofer dust."

"You serious?"

"Yeah. Afraid so." Sam mumbled. "Look. Believe me, don't believe me. Whatever you want. Just whatever you do, stay inside the circle, alright?"

"Yeah."

"Sam, do not just try to brush this off." I said, turning him to face me. "Dean is out there!"

"I know, Tori!" Sam yelled just as my stomach churned. I slowly looked around the room, feeling extremely unsettled.

* * *

 **CROSSROADS – NIGHT**

DPOV

The demon and I walked at a slow pace over to the passenger side of the Impala, making our way out to the edge of the crossroads.

"So I was hoping we could strike a deal." I said, glancing over at her.

"That's what I do."

"I want Evan Hudson released from his contract."

"So sorry, darling. That's not negotiable." She said, shaking her head.

"I'll make it worth your while."

"Oh really? What are you offering?"

"Me."

"Well, well, well. You'd sacrifice your life for someone elses. Like father, like son." She smiled. I cringed as she leaned against the side of the Impala, thinking more about how I'd have to scrub that door a few times before I felt it was clean again.

"You did know about your Dad's deal, right?" She continued. "His life for yours? I mean, of course you do. Your pretty little angel knew all about it, didn't she?"

I gritted my teeth, feeling anger rise up inside of me. Taking a deep breath to try and calm myself, I opened the door for her, trying to keep quiet as she went on.

"I didn't make the deal myself, but...boy, I wish I had."

"After you." I muttered.

"Such a gentleman." She said, glancing down into the car before shaking her head when she spotted the edge of the Devil's Trap under the mat. "A Devil's Trap? You've got to be kidding me"

* * *

 **HUSDON HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

"You hear that?" Evan asked, his voice shaking.

"No, where?" Sam asked, looking over at Evan.

"...I can." I murmured, listening in as the growling got closer.

"What?" Sam asked, a confused look on his face. "W- where?"

"Outside the door." I said just as the faint growls took over the whole room and the doors started to shake violently. Sam quickly grabbed my arm, pulling the both him and I inside the circle with Evan.

"Just don't move, alright. Stay where you are."

Once we were in the circle, I felt a little bit safer, but that all went away when I glanced over to the large window and saw vague outline of a large, black dog with red eyes looming outside.

* * *

 **CROSSROADS – NIGHT  
** DPOV

"You stupid, stupid..." The demon trailed off, narrowing her eyes. "I should rip you limb from limb." She slammed the door hard, stalking over to me as I backed up towards a small, wooden water tower.

"Take your best shot." I said, my voice coming out more pleading than I'd really wanted it to.

"No. I don't think so. I'm not going to put you out of your misery."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Because your misery's the whole point. It's too much fun to watch. Knowing how your Daddy died for you, how he sold his soul. I mean, that's gotta hurt. And you know deep down that it's no one's fault but yours." The demon hissed, her eyes boring into mine. "As much as part of you wants to try and put the blame on her, you really know that it wasn't your precious little Victoria's fault that Daddy gave up his soul. It was all on you. And it's all you ever think about. You wake up and your first thought is, _I can't do this anymore._ You're all lit up with pain."

I couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by what she was saying…because really, it was all true. I would always push through those thoughts for Sam...for Tori. But since she'd told us what happened at the hospital, needless to say, things had gotten worse.

I knew the real reason why...I knew it all along. There's no one else to blame but me. It's my fault that Dad's gone.

"The time you spend being angry at her, the more you distance yourself from her…" The demon paused, letting out a short laugh. "If you ever left her alone long enough..."

"What?" I asked, what she said catching my attention immediately, breaking me out of my thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you think Daddy never wanted her out of your sight? He told you the reason why he wanted to drag her along all those years ago. She was in danger then, and she still is now." She said, grinning when she noticed the confused look in my eyes as I vaguely remembered that conversion between Dad and I.

The night he brought Tori back, he seemed nervous, which I had never really seen before. He'd quickly explained to Sam what had happened when he asked a million times before dragging me outside to tell me the rest. He told me that he'd found her, that she had done...things. Dad never told me what, exactly, saying he didn't want to say anything for Tori's sake if she didn't want anybody to know.

I remember being so shocked to hear that the fragile looking girl lying on that bed in there that I seemed so drawn to had just been...possessed, but even more so after he told me some of what the demon had said to him.

It told him that Tori was _special._ That they...wanted her. Dad had decided that it just wouldn't be safe for her to be out there alone, so she had to stay with us. And I had to watch out for her, too.

Back then, I was a little upset that I had to take responsibly for another _kid –_ but after speaking to her for only a few minutes, I realized that I really didn't mind at all.

The only challenge I seemed to be faced with after that was taking my eyes _off_ of her.

"Oh…but you don't even know how special she is." The demon muttered, a grin on her lips. "Your Dad didn't even know. There are only a select few."

"Tell me." I insisted.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Dean." She said, looking up at me with a wicked smile. "Let's just say – she's the holy grail."

I shook my head, trying to make some kind of sense out of it. "I don't-"

"You blew it, Dean!" She suddenly yelled. "With everything. Everyone. And I could have given you what you need."

"What do I need?"

"Your father. I could have brought him back. Things could have been patched up between you and Victoria. But your loss. See you, Dean. I wish you a nice long life." She said, walking away.

"Hold on." I called, stopping her. She turned back around, a wicked smile on her face as her eyes glowed red again.

* * *

 **HUDSON HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

"What?" Sam asked, seeing the expression on my face as my eyes stayed glued to the window where the big shadowy dog figure had disappeared.

"You didn't see that?" I asked, looking up at him. Sam furrowed his brow before glancing over to the window, then back down to me, concern suddenly covering his features.

"See what, Tori?"

"The- the-"

"Did you see it? The Hellhound, did you see it?" Sam asked, grabbing my shoulders. "Why did you see it?"

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, my breathing getting heavier. A few moments passed and in that time, it started to get quiet, but I still didn't feel right.

"Do you still hear it?" Sam asked, glancing over at Evan before darting his eyes nervously back to me.

"No." Evan muttered. "Is it over?"

I shook my head, taking a deep breath. "I don-"

Just then, a low rumbling came from the grating in the wall and as we turned to look at it, it burst open, sending Goofer dust and pieces of metal flying across the room. I watched with wide eyes as another faint shadow of a huge Hellhound crawled out, snarling as it stared at Evan with it's blood red eyes.

"It's here!" Evan cried, seeing the same thing I was. Sam stepped in back of Evan as I stayed in front of him, all of us still inside the circle.

"Holy shit." I whispered, my voice trembling as I watched the mist like shadows of three huge Hellhounds surround us, digging their claws into the floor just in front of the circle of Goofer dust. "Holy fucking shit."

"You can fucking see them?!" Sam whisper yelled at me, his teeth clenched shut.

"Fuck, Sam! Yes!" I exclaimed quietly, getting irritated with him as my whole body started shaking while they slowly advanced on us.

I thought demons were scary...this was terrifying.

* * *

 **CROSSROADS – NIGHT  
** DPOV

"You're lucky I've got a soft spot for lost puppies and long faces." The demon said, walking a few steps back to me "I just can't leave you like this. Besides, you didn't call me here to bargain for Evan. Not really."

"Can you bring him back? My Dad?"

"Of course I can. Just as he was. Your Dad would live a long and natural life, like he was meant to. That's a promise."

"What about me?"

"I could give you ten years. Ten long good years with him. That's a lifetime. The family can be together again. John, Dean, Tori and Sammy. The Winchesters all reunited." She smiled, walking towards me again. "You and Tori would get back together because John would be alive again. Like he's supposed to be. Look, Dean, you're supposed to be dead. So we'll just set things straight, put things back in their natural order. And you get ten extra years on top. That's a bonus."

She was right, I was supposed to be dead. I couldn't argue with that. But could I really trust her? Sure, what she said before was true, but she was only telling me things I already knew. Things I just didn't want to let myself admit.

How did I know she could actually bring Dad back? I didn't.

I moved away from her as she got closer, her cocky smiled still in place.

"You think you could-" I paused, turning back to face her. "Throw in a set of steak knives?"

"You know, this smart-ass self-defense mechanism of yours." She muttered, taking a few steps forward until she couldn't move anymore, looking up to see the Devil's Trap I painted on the underside of the water tower. She looked back down at me with a deathly glare, gritting her teeth. "Dean!"

"Now you're really trapped. That's gotta hurt."

"Let me out. Now." She ordered.

"Sure. We just gotta make a little deal here first. You call off your Hellhounds and let Evan go, then I'll let you go." I told her.

"I can't break a binding contract."

"And by _can't_ you mean _don't want to_? Last chance. Evan and his wife get to live to a ripe old age. Going, going..."

"Let's talk about this."

"Okay, gone." I said, pulling Dad's journal out with a rosary.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, you're just gonna go on a little trip." I mumbled, grinning at her. "Way down South."

"Forget Evan. Think of your Dad!" She exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. "Think of Tori!"

"What?" I paused, staring up at her.

"That got your attention, huh? Listen Dean, you've already ruined everything with her. You're lucky she hasn't left yet." She said. "Without her, what do you have left to live for? At least this way, everything will be right. Like it should have been. Your Dad will be back, you can get the chance to make up with Victoria...and then you'll be dead. Everyone's happy."

I felt a pang of hurt hit me when she said that, wondering for a moment if I have actually ruined everything with Tori. Would she be happy if I was gone? Would Sam? I know I haven't been the best to Tori lately, and Sam and I have had our rough patches...but that couldn't be true, right?

Shaking my head, I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Demons lie. She was trying to get to me, and I was letting her. None of that was true.

After a moment, I flipped the journal back open, glancing up into the demons nervous, calculating eyes as I remembered what Sam said about Tori's nightmares.

She used to have terrible ones back when she was first with us, but I was always there for her. Whenever I heard her quite whimpers in the middle of the night, I'd quietly make my way over to her laying down on top of the covers so Dad couldn't really get mad at me for it – though he never really did, probably because I was helping Tori – and I'd pull her to my side and she'd just...stop.

As much as I hated myself sometimes, I knew I was the only one that could protect her like that. So I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before starting to read the exorcism again.

* * *

 **HUDSON HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

Wind started blowing through the now completely open grate, slowly blowing away our only protection. Just then, a big gust of wind blew and the circle all but disappeared around us.

"Circle's broken. Come on!" Sam exclaimed, pulling Evan and I out of the room. As we ran, I glanced back to see all three of the Hellhounds right on our tail.

Looking back in front of us, I spotted an open closet, pointing to it. "There. Come on!"

Sam slammed the door behind us as I pushed Evan to the back of the closet, moving to Sam's side to help keep the door shut as the Hellhounds pounded against it.

Suddenly, the noise outside stopped and just as fast as it all started, it stopped. My nausea went away, the growls went away. Everything just...stopped.

* * *

 **CROSSROADS – NIGHT  
** DPOV

Out of nowhere, the demon pulled me towards her, cutting off my words as she pressed her red lips hard against mine, pulling back a moment later. I blinked a few times, staring blankly at her.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Sealing the deal."

"I usually like to be warned before I'm violated with demon tongue."

"Evan Hudson is free. He and his wife will live long lives."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"My word is my bond." She nodded.

"Oh, really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It is when I make a deal. It's the rules. You got what you wanted. Now let me go." The demon muttered, watching me closely as I glanced up to the Devil's Trap. "You're gonna double-cross me? Funny how I'm the trustworthy one. You know, you renege? Send me to hell? Sooner or later I'm gonna climb out, and skinning Evan Hudson will be the first thing that I do."

I smiled at her, shoving the rosary back in my pocket before climbing up the side of the water tower a bit, cutting a line in the paint with my knife.

"I gotta tell you, you would have never pulled that stunt if you knew." She muttered, stepping out.

"Knew what?" I asked, getting back on the ground.

"Where your Dad is. You should have made that deal." She said. "See, people talk about hell, but it's just a word. It doesn't even come close to describing the real thing."

"Shut your mouth, bitch." I spat.

"If you could see your poor Daddy? Hear the sounds he makes 'cause he can't even scream?" She taunted, her eyes narrowed.

"How about I send you back there?" I asked, stalking back over to her. Just when I did, she threw her head back, black smoke pouring out as she screamed. I quickly backed up, watching the smoke dissipate as the girl fell to the ground, a confused look on her face.

* * *

After dropping the girl off at a nearby church, I couldn't help but think of all the years of therapy she'd need once she remembered all that shit. I still don't know how Tori did it, especially after everything that demon made her do.

And now with the thought of Tori in my mind, I could seem to stop thinking about what that demon had said.

This past couple weeks had been pretty tough on all of us. I don't think I'd ever gone so long _not_ speaking to Tori. What she'd told us, it had become somewhat of an out for me. Just so I could try to hide the truth, even though it was something I'd known all along.

Tori wasn't the reason Dad did what he did, she wasn't the reason that Dad was gone. It was me. It was my fault. I tried to blame the girl who held a near constant cloud of guilt over her head for years because of something a demon made her do?

How horrible was I? Could Tori ever even forgive me for that?

And now that old guilt I felt was accompanied by new guilt, and it was eating me alive even more than before.

Dad was still down there. I had the chance to bring him back, and I didn't take it. Though I couldn't help but think about how disappointed he would be in me in if I had taken the deal. But would I even have cared if he was back? I honestly don't know.

Thinking back to what the demon had said, about how Tori was the _holy grail –_ whatever that really meant to her, I wasn't sure – it really made me think back to all those years ago, how I started watching Tori like a hawk like I'd always done with Sam, just to make sure she was okay. To be honest though, I wasn't sure I ever really believed that demons were after her. I know differently now, but back then I always thought demons just wanted to cause destruction and not much else.

I could see how amazing and how special she was. I knew how important she was becoming to me, but I was fairly certain that a demon wouldn't think of her the way I was starting to.

So over the years, I'd backed off a bit, knowing she could take care of herself – but that I'd always be there whenever she needed me. We never really had to worry about demons after she was possessed.

Hell, I hadn't even heard the word demon until _Jericho_ last year.

But now everything seemed to be falling apart and I knew was that there was something after Tori...and Sam, too. I wasn't sure if it was the same thing, but either way, it was something big, something bad.

And I had to protect them.

* * *

 **HUDSON HOUSE – NIGHT  
** TPOV

A few moments after everything stopped, I felt like it was safe for us to head out, but just in case, I wanted to go outside to check.

"Tori, no." Sam said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Dean will never forgive me if something happens to you. I would never forgive myself."

"Well, it would be the same situation if something happened to you, Sam." I said, glancing back at him.

"But-"

"Both of us can't go. I can see them." I said, my voice shaking slightly as I tried not to think too hard about what I'd just said. "I have an advantage."

I didn't let Sam respond, cautiously making my way out of the cramped closet. I peaked around the doorway, listening for any quiet growls or footsteps. I didn't hear anything, moving out into the hallway as quietly as possible.

Once I'd made my way back to the office and out to the living room without seeing, hearing or feeling anything, I deemed it safe for Sam and Evan to come out. I headed back to the closet, giving them the go-ahead.

"So you could see them, too?" Evan asked me as we headed down the hallway.

"Yeah." I nodded slowly, trying to avoid Sam's look. I knew he was confused, worried. I was, too.

"Did you...I mean, you sure you didn't happen to do the same thing I did ten years ago?"

"No. Definitely not." I muttered.

As we walked back out to the living room I saw bright lights shine through the windows and the rumbling of the Impala's engine. Without thinking, I bolted outside, watching Dean as he parked the car, getting out with a strange look on his face.

"Dean." I called, rushing over to him, inspecting him for any injuries that I could see. I didn't care that he was still upset with me. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Dean-" I barely even got his name out before he pulled me to him, hugging me tightly.

My eyes widened and I glanced back to the house to see Sam and Evan standing in the doorway. Sam's expression was a mixture of confusion and nervousness as he watched us, while Evan still seemed pretty scared.

My heart started beating fast as Dean buried his face in my hair, holding me tighter. A million thoughts were running through my mind, but the only one I could seem to focus on was the fact that he'd just come back from a crossroads where he summon a demon, and now, after being mad at me for the past couple weeks, he was hugging me like he'd never get see me again.

Not to mention, the Hellhounds just miraculously stopped going after Evan right before Dean got here.

"Dean...please." I muttered, tears forming in my eyes. "Please don't tell me you did what I think you did."

"What do you think I did?" He asked, his voice muffled by my hair. "God, you smell good."

"Okay, stop." I said, pulling away from him to look up into his green eyes, seeing nothing but guilt there. "Dean, what happened?"

"I'm sorry."

"Dean, what did you do at the crossroads?"

"Summoned a demon and got her to let Evan go."

"That's it? She just let him go?" I asked incredulously. "There's gotta be more."

"Not really." Dean shrugged.

"How the hell did you get her to let him go?"

"I used a little thing called persuasion." Dean said. "Either she let him go, or I sent her back."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That worked? Nothing else happened?" I asked, watching him as he stared down to the ground for a moment before looking back up into my eyes.

"No. No, I just-" Dean paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I- about everything lately. I just- I felt so guilty, and I needed someone to blame. But it wasn't your fault. You- you couldn't have stopped him. It was wrong of me to be so hard on you and I- I'm just sorry." Dean said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was such an asshole."

"No, Dean. No, you weren't-"

"Yes, I was." He insisted, letting out a small breath of air. "I shouldn't have blamed you for something that was my fault."

I furrowed my brow, letting my emotions show through that I was still upset with the fact that he blamed himself for John doing what he'd done. I glanced behind me, hearing Sam's footsteps in the grass as he made his way over, his face full of concern.

I'm sure his thoughts weren't too different from mine before, I guess he couldn't take not knowing anymore. It didn't take a lot to assume Dean did a little more than just _ask_ for Evan to be saved.

"What happened?" Sam asked, looking over at his brother nervously.

"Nothing." Dean repeated, rolling his eyes as he glanced up to Evan. "He okay?"

"He's a little shaken, but he'll live."

"Good."

"Dean, you can't tell me the only thing that happened was you telling the demon to call it off and it listening."

"Listen, I-" Dean paused, looking down to me for a moment before glancing back up to Sam. "I'll tell you in the car, alright?"

Sam shared a nervous look with me before heading back inside the house to get some of our stuff and make sure that Evan was good enough to be left alone. Dean took in a deep breath as he looked back down to me, a strange look in his eyes again.

"Do you- do you forgive me?"

"I'll forgive you...if you forgive me." I said, looking up at him as he shook his head.

"But y-"

"Dean, I should have told the two of you sooner. I know it and I can take the blame for that." I told him.

"Alright." Dean said, letting out a small sigh and taking in a slow breath before nodding. "I forgive you."

Those little three words seemed to take a huge pressure off of me when he said them, and I smiled up at him, taking a deep breath. "I forgive you, too."

"Really?" Dean asked, his eyes going wide.

"Of course. Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"I wasn't sure."

"You know me better than that."

"Yeah." Dean mumbled, glancing down to my lips before looking back up into my eyes with a sheepish smile. "Can I kiss you?"

I grinned up at him, tilting my head to the side as I stared up into his eyes. "Nope."

Dean's eyes went wide for a second before he composed himself, turning away slightly as he tried to play it off. "Yeah, sure. Right."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I pulled him to me, pressing my lips hard against his. I could tell he was taken off guard for a moment, but he softened up to me quickly, placing his hands on my hips as he deepened the kiss.

A throat cleared next to us and we both looked up to see Sam standing there, a small smirk on his lips as he stared down at us, trying to pretend to be upset.

"Can we just go please?"

"Sure, Sammy." Dean said, shooting me a small smile before looking up at Evan, sending him a small wave.

Evan waved back awkwardly. "Uh…t-thanks."

"Will you be okay? You know, alone?"

"It- it's over now, right?"

"Yeah." Dean said.

"Then, no." Evan muttered. "No, I'm just gonna- I just need a minute, I think."

"Okay." I nodded.

"Take care of yourself." Sam said.

"No more deals." Dean added.

"No." Evan said, shaking his head. "...thanks...again."

The three of us watched Evan go back inside for a moment before Dean moved around to the driver side, getting in the car.

"What happened?" Sam asked, glancing down to me as Dean beeped the horn for us to get in.

"I don't know." I muttered, taking a deep breath as I moved to the backseat.

"Do you- I mean, would you feel like sitting up here?" Dean asked, looking back at me. I felt a small smile spread across my lips as I glanced back at Sam, silently asking him if he'd be okay with the backseat for now.

"Go ahead." Sam smiled, sliding in the backseat as I made my way to the passenger side.

Don't get me wrong, knowing that Dean actually forgave me was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I just didn't want him to forgive me and then take on all of that excess guilt afterwords, which was what he was doing.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

We'd been driving for a while and things almost felt back to normal, the radio playing softly in the background instead of blaring so loud that it vibrated your thoughts out of your mind.

"So what happened? Did the Goofer dust work?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah it worked." I mumbled, feeling a chill run down my spine as the image of the Hellhounds popped into my head. Dean saw me shake slightly, looking over at me with concerned eyes.

"What happened?"

"Well...the hellhounds...I could-" I paused, taking a deep breath before I looked over at him. "I could kind of...see them."

"What?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed. "I don't think I heard you right."

"No, you did." I muttered. A strange look crossed Dean's eyes as he swallowed hard, going back to staring out at the road in front of us. The whole seeing Hellhounds thing was worrying, but it seemed to go deeper than that.

There was a small space of silence in the bar before Sam started on Dean, and after few persistent questions he finally gave in and told us everything that happened with the demon – about how she could have brought John back if Dean made the deal. Ten years would be all he would get.

But again, I got the same feeling that he was leaving something out with the way he looked at me. I was just afraid there was something important he wasn't telling us.

After he was done explaining what happened, I glanced back at Sam, seeing a stunned look on his face. "Demons lie all the time, right? Maybe she was lying."

"Is that really what you think?" Dean asked, glancing back at Sam as he looked down. "How could he do it?"

"Well, he did it for you." Sam said.

"Exactly. How am I supposed to live with that? You know, the thought of him...wherever he is right now. I mean, he spent his whole life chasing that yellow-eyed son of a bitch. He should have gone out fighting. That was supposed to be his legacy. You know? Not bargaining with the damn thing. Not this."

"How many people do you think Dad saved? Total?"

"That's not the point, Sam."

"Evan Hudson is safe because of what Dad taught us. That's his legacy, Dean. But we're still here, man. So we gotta keep going, for him." Sam said, looking over at me as I took a deep breath, looking to Dean.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"When you were with that demon, you weren't..." I paused, swallowing nervously, afraid of the question I feared I already knew the answer to. "I mean, it was- it was all a trick. You never considered actually making that deal, right?"

I watched him closely, feeling anxiety rise up in my chest as he stared straight ahead before reaching down to turn on the radio a little bit louder without saying another word.

My stomach dropped as I kept my eyes on him for a moment, feeling them prickling with tears as I thought about him making that deal. Sam swallowed hard, shooting me a sad look before leaning back in the seat, looking down at his hands in his lap.

The rest of the drive was relatively quiet, but unlike the other quiet car rides, it wasn't because we were upset with each other, but because we were all now stuck in our own thoughts, thinking of the different ways tonight could have gone.

I don't know what I would have done if Dean told me he sold his soul. Obviously, I completely understood him waking to bring John back, but I couldn't imagine a scenario where Dean just...wasn't there anymore.

If he was gone, I'm not sure I'd be able to handle life without him. Not because I was one of those super co-dependent girls – though I knew we did need each other – but because when he was lying unconscious in that bed...I _felt_ it.

It was strange, but I _felt_ like a part of my soul was leaving me somehow. I just knew when he was in that room with us. I felt a shift in the air around me, my chest got heavy. Everything was completely and totally...wrong and I don't know if I could ever really explain it.

So in a strange way, through all the sadness and mourning, I sort of felt a bit of gratefulness towards John. He knew how much Sam and I needed Dean, how important he was to the both of us. And while I'm not completely sure John thought of how Dean would feel after it all, I knew what he was just thinking about saving Dean's life.

And though I completely disagreed with Dean on the fact that he felt like he had to carry all of that guilt over John's decision, I did understand it. I just hated seeing him upset and I wished there was some way I could lift at least a little more of that pressure he held on his shoulders.

It'd be great if Dean could see more of the reason _why_ John had one what he did. In that moment, he did have the perfect chance to kill that demon and finally get revenge once and for all. But he didn't, and I was sure I knew why.

John had been through a lot in his life and had a shitty way of showing it most of the time, but he did love his kids...and I don't think anything could have stood in the way of him saving the life of one of his sons.

* * *

 **Just gonna start off by apologizing for the long wait (I feel like that's how I start all of my A/N's) but I hope this chapter was worth it!**

 **It's about 4:30 in the morning right now and I just stayed up pretty much all night to finish this chapter. That's what I call dedication. Anyway, I'm practically falling asleep as I write this lol  
So just a heads up that I might change up the end of this chapter a little, tiny bit because of that. If I do, I'll put a note at the beginning of the next chapter telling you to head back over to this one to re-read the end.**

 **Okay, enough rambling. I'll let you go, now ;)**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!  
**

 **[Twitter: phoenixfire779]**


	9. Croatoan

**Huge A/N at the bottom!**

* * *

 _Look at the clock, it's out  
I wait for closure  
What's in the cards for me?  
We're getting older  
Always forgive, never forget  
Closing my eyes for sleepless California  
Holding the knife for me  
I'll keep it from you  
Sure as the sun  
Taken the light and shine on  
_…

 _Open my heart to you  
And now it's heavy  
Caught in the path of two  
But I'm not ready  
Comes with good time  
Miles are the years that we land on  
Built by the rocks that you, you threw upon me  
Your words were cheap  
Like sticks, they couldn't haunt me  
Color your lies  
You've paid the price 'cause you're breathing  
_… _..._

 _What's done is left unsaid_  
 _And I'm living life now halfway dead_  
 _What's there to live for?_  
 _My heart is down from your scar_  
 _I'm feeling like I'm halfway there_  
 _But I'll put the past back_  
 _And I just don't care_  
 _So I'm chasing_  
 _I'm chasing sunshine out there_

 _Closing my eyes for sleepless California  
Holding the knife for me  
We're chasing the sunshine  
Chasing the sunshine _

**True Violet – Seasons**

The smell of the crisp night air flowing through the open car windows was something I'd learned to take comfort in lately. I'd used it as somewhat of a distraction so I could try and ignore what was happening around me if only for a moment, but today I honestly didn't even pay attention to it. Instead, I smiled as I listened to Dean sing and hum along to the radio, something I hadn't heard in what felt like forever. Sam was in the backseat, groaning at his brothers singing and rolling his eyes.

Everything seemed right, back to normal – and I relished every single second.

The night started to fall, covering the sky in light pink and yellow colors as the sun set. If everything didn't seem perfect before, it certainly did now. As Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot, I started to feel a little suspicious – everything was a little too perfect. But maybe after everything that had been going on, that was me being a pessimist.

Dean parked the car, stepping out as he looked around in the night. "Got dark pretty quick, huh?"

"Yeah." I nodded, following out after him. A strange feeling fell over me and I glanced back inside the car, seeing en empty space in the passenger side where Sam had been sitting. I quickly stood upright, my eyes darting around the empty parking lot before looking up to Dean. "Where's Sam?"

"What?" He asked, his eyes full of confusion.

"Sam's not here." I muttered, looking into the thick treeline. "He's gone."

When I glanced back, Dean wasn't there and I was all alone in the parking lot. Wind whipped around me as crippling fear tingled down my spine, making me freeze in place. I let out a shaky breath, seeing the cold air fan out in front of my face.

"Sam's not gone." A deep voice muttered from somewhere in the dark. As much as I may have wanted to reply, my voice had seemed to stop working, like someone was gripping my vocal chords tightly.

A growl echoed out in the night, a few moments of silence before the trees rustled and a huge Hellhound stalked towards me, stopping a few feet away. I swallowed hard, starting to shake in fear as low chuckle sound in the distance before the voice continued.

"But he will be."

Suddenly, the Hellhound charged at me, it's teeth bared as it growled viciously. Before I could run away, my eyes snapped open as my breaths flew out harsh and unsteady.

I frantically looked around the cab of the Impala, seeing the panicked look on Sam's face, watching Dean whip the car over to the shoulder of the road, throwing it in park before leaning over the seat, a scared look in his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Y- yeah." I muttered, hearing my voice shake.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't- I don't know." I mumbled, pulling in a deep breath. "It was just another bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Later?" I asked, looking between the two. "Please?"

Sam watched me for a moment before nodding, tapping Dean lightly on the shoulder, nodding to the steering wheel. Dean's concerned eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he turned around, putting the car in drive and pulling it back onto the road.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

The Impala entered the parking lot of another random motel, which looked uncomfortably similar to the one in my nightmare. I'd almost froze when he and Sam got out of the car, staring out of the window like a scared animal.

I saw the look on Dean's face, knowing he and Sam were exchanging worried glances and that forced me to remember something. All of these places look the same. Just because it was similar to the one in my nightmare didn't mean anything.

At least that's what I was trying to tell myself.

I quickly jumped out of the car, moving around to the open trunk to grab a few bags when I spotted Sam walking towards the office. A pang of fear hit me and I almost instinctively moved after him before stopping myself, holding back.

Swallowing hard, I moved back the small space I'd inched forward, noticing Dean watching me closely as I threw the bag over my shoulder, going to pick up another one before glancing back at him. His eyes still held a scared look that he was trying to cover up. But even though that, I could see curiosity there. It wouldn't be long before he asked about my nightmare again.

With a small sigh, he took the last bag from the trunk and shut it, glancing up at me. "Want me to take one of those?"

"No, I'm good." I nodded, nervously looking back to the office. "Hey...you- you think Sam's okay in there?"

Dean rose an eyebrow, slowly looking back towards office before turning to me with a curious expression. "Yeah. Why?"

"Just, you know, wondering..." I trailed off, keeping my eyes on the office doors.

"Right." Dean muttered, furrowing his brow in confusion as stuffed the car keys in his pocket. Sam came back out then, pulling out two sets of keys and throwing one to Dean, who caught it with his free hand.

"As much as it grosses me out to say this-" Sam started, scrunching his nose up as he looked between Dean and I. "I figured you two might want to...you know...spend some time alone."

For a moment, I almost smiled at the thought of being alone with Dean – as that hadn't happened in quite a long time – but then, almost immediately, memories of that nightmare flew through my head, followed by anxiety. Sam would be left all alone.

But then again, he had been left alone before and he was always fine. That nightmare meant nothing…

Without giving either of us the opportunity to tell him no, Sam pulled his bag off of Deans shoulder, shooting the both of us a small smile before heading in the opposite direction.

"Did you know he was gonna do that?" I asked, looking over at Dean.

"No." Dean muttered, shaking his head."You okay with this?"

"With what?" I asked, looking over his shoulder to watch Sam unlock the door, disappearing into his room.

"You know, being alone." Dean mumbled. I broke my gaze away from where Sam had been, looking up to Dean's cautious, guarded expression.

"Of course I am." I said, shooting him a warm smile. He relaxed almost instantly, returning my smile.

"Okay then." Dean nodded, turning on his heel. My eyes lingered on Sam's door once more before I finally pulled myself away, following Dean to the room. The two of us our way inside, throwing the bags down on the floor.

"Hey, Tori, you- I mean, I know we've been trying to get back on track here...just, uh, you know you can talk to me, right? About anything." Dean said, instantly transforming into the sweet guy he was, but only let a few people see.

"I know that." I said, shooting him a small smile. "I've always known. That really has nothing to do with it."

"But the nightmares-"

"They're fucking scary." I interjected. "I just don't know how to talk about them. Especially this last one."

As I started playing with the ends of my hair, I realized I was acting more like the fourteen year old, nightmare-ridden girl I used to be. How I avoided sleep at all costs, only getting rest when my body simply gave out from being so tired. How every time I closed my eyes, I saw all the images I tried so hard to get away from.

I wasn't sure how I got over things like I did. Though I always had a strong feeling that a lot of it had to do with the boys. Dean especially. He helped me with a lot of that stuff – whether he knew it or not – but things hadn't been that bad in years. Before all of this, I rarely had nightmares anymore. I mean, occasionally they'd showed up, it'd be impossible for them not to.

But to be perfectly honest, until now, I haven't had such terrifying nightmares…

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT  
ELEVEN YEARS AGO **

_There was blood...everywhere. I felt like I couldn't get away from the sight of it...or the smell._

 _To my left, I could see Rose lying in the kitchen, an almost perfect pool of blood forming around her lifeless body, running down the tiled floor. In front of me, streaks of blood soaked into the wood floors, leading up to Peter, who took his last breaths in front of me as more blood gushed from the wound in his stomach._

 _Then there was me, standing in the middle of it all – blood on my shaky hands, dripping down the front of my shirt..._

" _Hey." A voice muttered in the distance, echoing through the room. "Hey. Come on...wake up."_

 _I felt the tightness of someone gripping my arms before the force shook me hard, pushing me back slightly._

My eyes snapped open, right away looking into the bright green ones I'd been met with nearly every night for the past...God, I don't even know how long anymore.

I ran a hand through my hair, wiping some of the sweat off my forehead as Dean scooted to the foot of the bed, watching me closely as I sat upright.

"I didn't wake Sam up, did I?" I asked, glancing over to see a mop of brown hair lying still on a pillow on the bed next to mine.

"No." Dean replied, a tired look on his face. "Woke me up though."

"I- I'm sorry, I-"

"I'm joking." Dean said, shooting me a smirk.

"Course you are." I nodded, pulling in a deep breath.

"So, you wanna talk about what happened?"

"Jeez, Dean. You really need to learn how to be more straight forward with people." I muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, I've been seeing you wake up like this in the middle of the night for the past few months without asking-"

"That's not true, you always ask."

"And you always say the same thing." Dean mumbled, reaching to to grab a bottle of water off the nightstand, untwisting the cap before handing it over to me.

As weird as it was, it was like he didn't have to give a second thought to anything he'd just done. Even though it was something as simple as giving me a bottle of water, this had become somewhat of a routine for us.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it.

"Thanks." I said, taking a small sip of the water. "Listen, I'll-"

"You'll what? _Tell me later_?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know, that's what you always say and it never happens."

"I just don't know where to start." I told him, glancing down at the bottle in my hands before looking up to meet his eyes again.

There was so much concern there, like he truly and honestly cared about me. If I wasn't too careful, I could easily get lost in those eyes and spew out everything. Every singe little detail in my head, everything I didn't want him to know in fear that he'd think I was crazy.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT  
Present **

Dean pulled me out of my memory, gently taking my arm to lead me over to the foot of the bed. "So, will you tell me about your...whatever that was?"

"I honestly don't know where to start, Dean." I mumbled, shrugging slightly.

"The beginning is usually a good place." He smirked, making me smile for a moment before I sobered up.

"Yeah." I nodded. Talking to Dean, telling him about how I was feeling, it had become so easy over the years. Like breathing.

This time though, it was a little harder. Not because I was afraid to speak to him, necessarily. But because no matter how brave I tried to act, there was a part of me that was scared of all of this – of everything that had happened the past few weeks.

I almost felt like if I spoke about the nightmare out loud, that somehow made it real.

Dean was silently coaxing me with his eyes to speak and after a while, I just broke down, telling him everything that had happened. After I was all done, Dean's reaction was mostly what I was expecting; stunned silence. He sat there with a blank look on his face for what felt like forever before letting out a heavy breath.

"Shit." Dean mumbled. "That's uh-"

"Pretty weird."

"Yeah."

"I know." I nodded.

"Just...more Hellhounds?" He asked, looking up at me. I was a bit taken a-back for a moment, wondering to myself why that was what he was focusing on instead of the fact that the nightmare had everything to do with Sam practically disappearing.

"...yeah."

"And it ran at you?"

"Yup."

"Well, shit."

"I know."

"I'm still trying to get a grip on the whole _you see Hellhounds_ thing."

"That makes two of us." I paused, trying to get my thoughts together. "But Dean, the whole thing with Sam...I mean, I don't think it means anything but-"

"No, you're right. It doesn't mean anything." Dean said, shrugging slightly.

"What?" I asked, shocked that he just brushed it off so easily. I thought for sure he'd be more upset.

"Well, with everything going on...you know..."

"I'm gonna have a dream about Sam being _gone_?"

"Who knows." Dean mumbled, looking away. It only took that one shift of his eyes for me to see what was really going on here, for me to see beneath the facade he was currently fabricating.

He was nervous. Maybe even a little scared.

To be honest, that was more unsettling to me than the nightmare itself. Dean was my rock, he was always the strong one, so for me to see him scared – well, that messed with me.

"Dean, what's really going on here?" I asked, scooting a bit closer to him.

"Nothing."

"Dean, I know something is bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me." Dean muttered, pulling his jacket off as he stood, throwing it onto the back of one of the chairs.

"Talk to me."

"Tori, there's nothing to talk about. That nightmare sucked, it seemed really fucking scary, and I don't know why it happened...but I just- I mean, I don't think it _means_ anything." Dean said, a strange look in his eyes as he glanced back to the ground. I watched him for a moment as he moved around the room, trying to keep himself busy with whatever he could, sitting down on one of the chairs to pull his boots off.

Maybe Dean was right. I didn't have premonitions, I couldn't see the future. Maybe the nightmare really did mean nothing. But between the sinking in the pit of my stomach, and Dean's rash denial, I just couldn't shake feeling that something was off.

"I guess you just didn't react like I thought you would." I murmured.

Dean glanced up at me from the chair he sat on, his brow furrowed. "Well, how was I supposed to react?"

"I don't know. I mean, I told you Sam all but disappeared. A voice told me he'd gone...a Hellhoud almost killed me. I thought you'd be more worried." I said, shrugging my shoulders lightly. Dean's jaw clenched slightly as he swallowed hard, pulling in a deep breath before meeting my eyes again. I saw his flicker with worry once more before he covered it up again, trying to hide it from me.

"Okay. Well, who's voice was it?"

"I don't- I don't know."

"Exactly." Dean nodded, his eyes growing a bit softer as he looked up at me. "I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"You'd tell me if you did, right? If you really thought there was something there?"

"Tor, Sam's not going anywhere. Between the two of us, you know nothing's gonna happen to him." Dean said, avoiding answering my question outright.

"Of course not." I nodded, deciding to try and let the topic go for the night. I knew Dean was, in a way, just trying to be strong for me. But I almost felt like deep down, he shared my worried feelings that all of this meant something more, something much worse.

"Alright, come on."

"What?" I asked, watching Dean walk back over to me.

"You need to get some sleep." He muttered, caressing my face in his hand, running his thumb over the bruise-like dark circle underneath my eyes. The mention of sleep made me tense slightly, which he noticed. "You'll be okay. I'll be here."

I couldn't help but smile up at him, nodding as he headed over to the bed. I took a deep breath, pulling off my jacket and jeans before sliding into the bed with him. Dean pulled me into his arms, placing a kiss on my temple.

I let out a small sigh, feeling my eyes drift shut as I molded into his side. Sleeping in Dean's arms had once been the only thing to help calm my nightmares, and that just never went away.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT  
ELEVEN YEARS AGO **

My hair stuck to my forehead as I jolted awake again, my breaths coming out heavy as I glanced around the room in a panic before realizing where I was. Almost right away, Dean had woken up too, making his way over from the couch as I sat upright.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded, taking a small swig from the bottle of water next to me.

"Another one?" Dean asked, looking at me with concerned eyes as I nodded. "That sucks."

"It does."

"Want to watch a little TV?"

"Dean, you have to sleep at some point."

"I don't mind." He smiled, moving around to the other side of the bed. He made sure to keep his distance, respecting John's rules even though he wasn't here right now.

"When is John supposed to be back?"

"Few days." Dean shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on the TV as he flicked through the channels.

"What is he...hunting again?" I asked, still trying to get myself used to this whole thing. Even after a couple months, I still wasn't completely sure what to make of it all.

"A werewolf."

"Oh. Right." I nodded, taking in a deep breath, shaking my head slightly.

Dean glanced over at me, a small grin on his face. "What's the matter? Scared?"

"Of an oversized puppy? No way." I scoffed, shooting a small smile at him. I had come to know, and actually kind of love, Dean's sense of humor over the few months I'd been with the Winchesters. Sure he could be cheesy and maybe a little harsh, but he was harmless.

"Good answer." He nodded with a smile before turning back to the television.

* * *

Dean and I watched TV for a little bit longer, and before I knew it he sun was shining brightly through the windows. In my half awake state, I noticed that there was a pressure on my stomach and how I felt much more warm than normal.

I almost drifted back to sleep when I felt movement behind me and froze as my eyes snapped open. I glanced over to the other bed, seeing Sam sleeping soundly there. I let out a breath, slowly looking behind me. My eyes widened as they landed on Dean, who was sleeping there. It was then that I realized the pressure on my stomach was his arm wrapped tightly around me, and the reason I was so hot was because the length of his body was pressed against mine.

Honestly, the look on my face must have been priceless.

Without thinking, I quickly pushed his arm off of me, watching as he snapped awake. Dean glanced around the room for a moment, jumping back when he noticed where he was. He moved so quickly that I guess he underestimated the distance he had, causing him to fall off the bed, landing on the dark carpet with a thud.

"Oh my god, Dean." I exclaimed, quickly moving across the bed to reach down, trying to help him up. "Dean, are you okay?"

For a moment he just stared at my hand like it was a snake about to bite him, until he shook his head, standing to his feet.

Sam woke up, barely lifting his head off the pillow to glance up. "What happened?"

"Dean, uh, fell." I told him, watching as he stared up at Dean in disbelief before shaking his head.

"Stupid."

"Bitch." Dean spat back, narrowing his eyes at his little brother.

"Jerk." Sam replied, raising an eyebrow as he threw his head back down on the pillow. I smiled at the two boys, finding myself loving their relationship more and more. They really cared about each other, probably more than they would ever admit.

"Listen Tori, I- I'm so sorry." Dean said quietly.

"Oh." I mumbled, moving back to a sitting position on my side of the bed. "Uh, yeah."

"Really...I'm sorry." He said, his eyes full of nervousness. I don't think I'd ever heard him apologize so much.

"Dean it- it's okay. I mean, all we did was fall asleep...it's not the end of the world, you know?" I shrugged, smiling up at him. "Calm down, it's okay."

"Yeah." Dean nodded, taking in a deep breath. I watched him turn, quickly making his way into the bathroom, shutting the door. I leaned back against the headboard, not able to stop my mind from drifting to thoughts Dean pressed up against me. I quickly shook the thoughts out of my head, biting my lip.

I can't think of Dean in that way, that's just...wrong...right? I mean, John would kill us if he knew what happened. Plus, Dean was so uncomfortable he had to run away. That clearly shows he has no feelings like that towards me whatsoever.

Wait, now I'm talking about _feelings_? Where was I going with that? I'm reading way too much into this. All we did was fall asleep, nothing more.

Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, a new one entered and I realized that I hadn't had any nightmares last night, in fact I can't remember any dreams at all. It was just...blank…

Bliss.

But why did I suddenly not have any nightmares? Maybe they just went away?

No, I wasn't hopeful enough to believe that – not after everything. So what else could it be? Was it because of Dean?

The thought made me chuckle to myself, shaking my head at my own stupidity. There was no way Dean could prevent me from having nightmares. Plus, I'd never know. What happened last night can never happen again.

* * *

 **MOTEL – MORNING**

My head was foggy as I started to wake up, barely even cracking my eyes open as I felt Dean's chest rise and fall behind me. In his sleep he tightened his hold around my mid-section, snuggling into my back.

I really hadn't realized how mentally tired I was until that moment when making myself stay awake as long as possible for weeks on end finally caught up to me.

"One at a time..." Dean chuckled in his sleep, snuggling even closer to me. I woke up then, his muffled voice pulling me out of my hazy state. "...I'm only one man."

"What..." I furrowed my brow, glancing back at him as he continued.

"Calm down, girls...I'll get to everyone." He mumbled, a small grin on his lips. I snorted, shaking my head as I reached behind him to smack his butt, causing him to jump up, looking around with wide eyes. "Huh? What?"

"Good dream, Casanova?" I asked, raising my eyebrows when he furrowed his.

"What?" He asked, confused for a moment before it set in. "Was I talking?"

"Maybe." I said, biting my lip to keep from smiling. "So, how many girls were there?"

"So many." Dean murmured, a cocky grin on his lips. I raised an eyebrow, shaking my head at him. "Hey, you were there."

"Oh, was I?" I asked, turning around to rest my chin on his chest. "Doing what?"

"Oh, lots of stuff." Dean trailed off, his eyes glazing over with lust. He didn't need to continue for me to know exactly what was going on in that little head of his.

"That's really gross, Dean." I chuckled, teasing him.

"Not on my end." Dean mumbled. "And you did seem to be enjoying all of the attention."

"Yeah. Because that version of me was a figment of your imagination."

"Well." Dean shrugged, shooting me a small smile before placing a sweet kiss on my lips.

"...I love you."

"Me too." Dean said, shooting me that look that told me he felt the same way.

Just then a rapid set of knocks sounded on the door before it swung open. Dean quickly grabbed his gun, pointing it at the doorway as Sam stepped into the room. Dean let out an annoyed huff, lowering the gun.

"Dude, I could've shot you! Give some warning next time."

"Sorry I-" Sam paused, looking uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Sam?" I asked, watching the torn and worried look on his face as his eyes darted nervously to Dean before moving back to me.

"I had another vision."

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

Once in the Impala, the GPS in Sam's hand droned out the directions in a robotic, monotone voice that Dean was getting more and more annoyed by with every passing minute. I could tell because every time it spoke, I literally felt his eyes roll around in his head.

Sam had refused to tell us anything but the fact that we needed to get on the road until we got into the car, which Dean wasn't too happy about, but seeing the stressed look on his brother's face, he agreed rather easily.

"There are only two towns in the US named Rivergrove." Sam muttered, fidgeting with the GPS.

"How come you're so sure it's the one in Oregon?" Dean asked, glancing over at his brother. I watched Sam's face for a moment, seeing him get that troubled, far off look in his eyes before he shook his head slightly.

"There was a picture. Crater Lake."

"Okay, what else?"

"I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair."

"I don't want to do this." I muttered from the backseat for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour. I wanted to know what had Sam so worried, but the moment the words left his mouth – I'd almost wished I hadn't been so persistent.

"Why not?" Sam asked, turning to me.

"Because Sam, according to you, Dean shoots a guy there!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up. I was expecting something like his other visions – another situation where we'd try and race against time to save people...I just never thought we'd have to save someone from one of us.

"Why did I do that, by the way?" Dean asked, glancing over at his brother.

"You didn't, Dean. And you won't, because we're not going." I said.

"You thought there was something inside him." Sam muttered, ignoring me.

"What, a demon?" Dean asked. "Was he possessed?"

"I don't know."

"But if we was, we would have tried to exorcise it." I said. Sam stayed silent for a moment, swallowing hard as his eyes darted between Dean and I in the front seat before letting them drop to his lap.

"Sam?" Dean asked, glancing back at his little brother. "Was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcise it?"

"No." Sam muttered quietly, looking up at Dean. "Nothing, you just plugged him, that's it."

"Well...I'm sure I had a good reason." Dean said, turning back to the road in front of him.

"I sure hope so."

"What does that mean?"

"This makes no sense. Dean wouldn't- I mean, Dean wouldn't just...kill an innocent man." I said, glancing at Sam, who rose his eyebrows.

"I wouldn't!" Dean exclaimed, catching Sam's look.

"I never said you would!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Oh, dear god." I mumbled, shaking my head.

"Look, we don't know what it is. But whatever it is, that guy in the chair's a part of it. So let's find him, and see what's what." Sam said.

"I say we just avoid the whole thing altogether."

"What?"

"If we don't go, your vision doesn't happen."

"We have to go."

"Why?"

"People might need our help."

"Who, the guy Dean shoots?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, glancing back at me with wide eyes. "I thought you said I wouldn't do that?"

"You wouldn't."

"Let's just check it out." Sam said, shooting Dean and I his puppy-dog eyes. "Please."

"Fine." I huffed, realizing I wasn't getting anywhere with him. Maybe I should just chalk my anxious feelings up to everything that had happened these past few days, but I just had a really bad feeling about all of this.

* * *

 **RIVERGROVE STREET – DAY**

After hours of driving, the Impala finally crossed the boarders of the small, quiet town, passing a few shops here and there until Sam got a look of recognition on his face, pointing to a log building with a man sitting out in front, cleaning a rifle.

"Hey, go there."

"Alright." Dean nodded, pulling into the parking lot.

"So just a few questions and then we're out, right?" I asked, leaning on the back of the front seat as Dean stopped the car in front of the building.

"Right." Sam mumbled, getting out of the car. I sighed, sharing a look with Dean before the two of us followed him.

"Morning." Dean said as we approached the man.

"Good morning." The man smiled. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. Billy Gibbons," Dean said, pulling out a badge, nodding to Sam and I. "Frank Beard and Josie Hill. U.S. Marshals."

"Mark." He nodded, placing the rifle down. "What's this about?"

"We're looking for someone."

"A young man, early twenties." Sam interjected. "He'd have a, a thin scar right below his hairline."

"What'd he do?"

"Well, nothing. We're actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man could help us."

"Yeah, he's not in any kind of trouble or anything. Well, not yet." Dean glanced down to the Mark's arm, noticing a tattoo there, a small smile appearing on his face before looking back up. "I think maybe you know who he is...Master Sergeant. My dad was in the Corps, he was a Corporal."

"What company?" The man asked.

"Echo-2-1." Dean said proudly. John being in the Marines was always something Dean had admired. I always wondered if their lives hadn't turned out the way they did, if Dean would've ended up in the army or not.

"So can you help us?" Sam asked, watching the man closely as he hesitated.

"Duane Tanner's got a scar like that. But I know him. Good kid, keeps his nose clean."

"Oh, I'm sure he does." Dean muttered "You know where he lives?"

"With his family, up Aspen Way."

"Thank you." Dean said, the three of us walking away.

Dean and I took a few more steps back to the Impala before realizing that Sam had stopped back at the telephone pole we'd just passed. He pointed up at what looked like a small engraving on the side, but I couldn't make out what it said until I got up to it.

"Hey."

"Whoa." I muttered, running a finger over the deeply engraved letters.

" _Croatoan_?" Dean read, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, looking between his brother and I with a blank look. Sam glanced over at me, rolling his eyes before looking back to Dean.

"Roanoke? Lost colony? Ring a bell?" Sam asked. "Did you even pay any attention in history class?"

"Yeah!" Dean said, a matter-of-fact tone to his voice. "Shots heard 'round the world, how bills becomes laws..."

"That's not school, babe, that's _Schoolhouse Rock_." I said, shooting him a small smile.

"Whatever." Dean muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Roanoke was one of the first English colonies in America, late fifteen-hundreds?" Sam said.

"Oh yeah, yeah, I do remember that." Dean nodded. "The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. _Croatoan_."

"And then come the theories." I muttered, looking back to the telephone pole. "Indian raid, disease. But nobody really knows what happened. They were all just gone – overnight."

"You don't think that's what's going on here."

"Well, I hope not." I said, taking deep breath. "Because if it is, we're all screwed."

"Whatever I saw in my head, it sure wasn't good. But what do you think could do that?" Sam asked.

"Well, I mean, all of your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow, so…" Dean trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

"We should get help." Sam suggested.

"I'll call Bobby." I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket. Just as I was about to dial his number, I realized all the bars in the top corner were completely gone. "Or not. I don't have a signal."

"I don't either." Sam mumbled, frowning at his phone screen. Dean glanced down at his, shaking his head as he stuffed the phone back in his pocket before looking around.

"That's gotta work." Dean said, heading over to a pay phone. Sam and I followed behind, reaching the phone just as Dean picked it up, a loud dial-tone ringing through the receiver. Dean let out a frustrated huff, placing the phone back on the hook. "Line's dead. I'll tell you one thing, if I was gonna massacre a town, that'd be my first step"

"You need to stop watching slasher movies." I mumbled, folding my arms as the uncomfortable feeling of being watched crept up on me.

"You okay?" Dean asked, noticing the change in my attitude.

"Yeah." I nodded, taking a breath. "What are we gonna do now?"

"We should go check out that house." Sam muttered, walking back towards the Impala.

"Okay then." Dean sighed, shaking his head before glancing over at me. "Hey, how do you feel about being here?"

"Not good."

"Is it because I shoot a guy?" He asked in a joking voice, trying to make light of the situation.

"Dean. Not helping." I sighed, shaking my head.

"Sorry."

"Come on, let's just go."

* * *

 **TANNER HOUSE – DAY**

The cabin style home in front of us had nothing but thick trees surrounding it and the sound of a small river in the distance. This place was literally in the middle of nowhere, we almost got lost trying to find it. A slightly uncomfortable feeling fell over me as the three of us made our way up the porch where Sam knocked on the door. I didn't focus on the feeling too long, letting my eyes wonder, finding them landing on a puke green plaque that read: _Born To Fish; Forced To Work._

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as a dark-haired teenage boy opened the door, looking between the three of us. "Yeah?"

Dean flashed his badge, peaking around the teenager slightly. "We're looking for Duane Tanner. He lives here, right?"

"Yeah, he's my brother."

"Can we talk to him?"

"Oh, he's not here right now."

"Well, do you know where he is?" I asked.

"Yeah." The boy nodded. "He went on a fishing trip up by Roslyn Lake."

"Are your parents home?"

"They're inside."

"Jake? Who is it?" A male voice sounded from behind the walls before a pair of footsteps started getting closer to the door. The father – a tall, balding man – stood behind his son, shooting us a big smile.

"Hello-

"Hi, U.S. Marshals. Sir, we're looking for your son Duane." Dean said, not wasting any time.

"Wh- why?" He asked, a worried look on his face. "He's not in trouble, is he?"

"Oh, no, no." I reassured him. "We just need to ask him a couple of routine questions, that's all."

"When's he due back from his trip?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, maybe your wife knows."

"No, I don't know, she's not here right now." Mr. Tanner said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Your son said she was." Dean pointed out.

"Did I?" The boy asked, chuckling lightly.

"She's getting groceries." Mr. Tanner said. "So, when Duane gets back, is there a number where he can get a hold of you?"

"Oh no, we'll just check in with you later." Dean smiled, the three of us turning as Mr. Tanner quickly shut the door behind us. I understood that some people didn't want the _feds_ creeping around their homes, but they were acting a little _too_ strange about it for me.

"That was kind of creepy, right?" I asked, looking between the boys as we walked back down the porch steps, worrying that my paranoia was getting to me. "It's not just me, is it?"

"No." Dean said, shaking his head. "They were a little too Stepford."

"Yeah, big time." Sam nodded, looking over at Dean and I as we stopped in the middle of the stone walkway leading back to the road. "You thinking what I am?"

"Yeah, come on." Dean said, the three of us heading around the back of the house where we crouched under a large window that was cracked open slightly, peering inside.

My eyes widened at the scene in front of me in the pristine home where a blonde woman sat gagged and tied to a chair, tears streaming down her face. The dark-haired teenage boy who answered the door walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"It's okay, Mom. It's not gonna hurt."

Mr. Tanner came out of the other room with a large kitchen knife, staring down at the blade for a moment before looking up to the woman in the chair. The boy moved around in front of his mother, rolling up one sleeve. He didn't even flinch as his father place the sharp knife on his arm, cutting into it, squeezing a large amount of blood out into what looked like a wound on the mother's shoulders.

Neither one of us said anything, we didn't have to, knowing what we needed to do. We rushed up the back porch steps where Sam and Dean quickly broke down the door, pulling out their guns as we ran into the room. I hurried over to the woman who was still tied to the chair as Dean shot the father in the chest three times when he ran at him with the knife.

I started to take the rag out of the woman's mouth when the loud sound of glass breaking distracted me, I looked up to see the boy running into the woods. Sam aimed his gun at him, but didn't shoot, letting the boy get away.

Sam glanced back at me, noticing that I'd see what had happened before looking to the ground. I ignored what just happened, going back to tending to the poor woman in front of me. I took the rag out of her mouth, placing it on the wound on her shoulder. She cried out in pain when I put more pressure on it to stop the bleeding, tears still streaming down her face.

Usually the sight of blood never made me feel sick, but this time I felt a pang of nausea as the blood soaked through the rag and onto my skin, leaving the slightest tinge of red there. I tried not to think much of the strange feeling it gave me, instead focusing on helping her.

"You'll be alright, don't worry." I muttered, not knowing at all how true that statement was.

* * *

 **CLINIC – DAY**

The longer I sat in the backseat with Ms. Tanner, holding pressure on her wound, the more my stomach started to churn. The nightmares I'd been having...they had to be the reason for blood making me so nauseous, because there was no way demons were involved in this. I'd be feeling much worse right now if that were the case.

Eventually, Dean pulled up in front of the small clinic, shutting the car off as Sam came around to help me get Beverly out of the car. Once I was out, two of us held her up, one on either side as we made our way to the door.

"You guys go, I'll be right there." Dean said, opening the trunk.

"Alright, come on." I nodded as Sam and I led her inside. Inside, the clinic seemed completely abandoned. Almost all the lights were off, leaving the room dark as we made our way through the small office.

"Hello? Hello?" Sam called. "We need a doctor here!"

A young nurse came rushing out, her eyes widening when she saw all the blood. "Mrs. Tanner, what happened?"

"She was attacked." I told her.

"Doctor Lee?!" The nurse called, looking back inside another room. A blonde doctor came out, the same look on her face as she took in the state of the woman we were holding up.

"Bring her in."

"Okay." Sam nodded, the two of us following the nurse into one of the back rooms, the Doctor behind us. I heard the doors open, glancing behind me to see Dean carrying the canvas-wrapped body of Mr. Tanner.

Dr. Lee stopped in her tracks, her mouth popping open slightly when she saw Dean. "Is that-"

"Mr. Tanner?" Dean asked.

"Was he attacked too?"

"Uh...no, actually, he did the attacking and then he got himself shot."

"Shot?"

"Yeah."

"And who are you?"

"U.S. Marshal. I'd show you my badge, but uh-" Dean shrugged, glancing over at the body.

"Oh. Sorry. Bring him back here." Dr. Lee said, nodding for him to follow her into the lab we were already heading towards. Dr. Lee sat on a stool in front of Ms. Tanner, starting to treat her wound as she told us all what had happened.

"Wait, you said Jake helped him? Your son Jake?" Dr. Lee asked in disbelief.

"They beat me. Tied me up." Ms. Tanner muttered through her tears.

"I don't believe it." The nurse mumbled, shaking her head.

"Pam." The doctor muttered, shooting her a hard look before turning back to Ms. Tanner. "Beverly...do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?"

"No, of course not. I don't know why. One minute they were my husband and my son, and the next...they had the devil in them."

Sam, Dean and I froze at her choice of words, sharing a worried look as we stood against the wall away from the three women.

"We gotta talk." Dean said quietly, turning to leave the room. I shared another look with Sam, placing a hand on his arm before heading out into the other room where Dean was waiting. "Those guys were whacked out of their gourds."

"What do you think? Multiple demons, mass possession?" Sam asked.

"If it is a possession, there could be more. I mean, God knows how many. It could be like a fucking Shriner convention." Dean muttered.

"Great." Sam mumbled, letting out a sigh.

"Of course, that's one way to wipe out a town, you take it from the inside."

"I don't know, man. We didn't see any of the demon smoke with Mr. Tanner, or any of the other usual signs."

"How's your demon _GPS_?" Dean asked, looking over to me. "You getting any weird feelings?"

"We're really calling it that?" I asked, watching as he simply shrugged. "No, I'm not getting anything. I mean, I did feel kind of off back at the Tanner's place...and in the car with Beverly."

"But you didn't feel like you normally would?"

"No. That's whats weird about it. And to be honest, that's whats worrying me. Why would I be having similar feelings if there are no demons?" I asked. "Bullets took Mr. Tanner out. That wouldn't have happened if he were a demon."

"Well, whatever. Either way, something turned him into a monster." Dean said, looking back to Sam. "And you know, if you would've taken out the other one there'd be one less to worry about."

"I'm sorry, alright? I hesitated, it was a kid!" Sam exclaimed.

"No, it was an _it_. Not the best time for a bleeding heart, Sam."

The loud clicking of heels hitting on the floor sounded through the hallway as Dr. Lee stalked out towards us, an upset look on her face.

"How's the patient?" Sam asked.

"Terrible. What the hell happened out there?" She asked, looking between the three of us.

"We don't know." Dean said honestly.

"Yeah? Well, you just killed my next-door neighbor." She snapped, shooting a small glare at Dean.

"Hey, we didn't have a choice." I said, narrowing my eyes at her slightly.

"Maybe so." She muttered, folding her arms. "But we need the county Sheriff. I need the coroner-"

"Good luck, the phones are down."

"I know, I tried. Tell me you have a police radio in the car?"

"We do." I told her. "Only it stopped working, just like everything else."

"I don't understand what is happening."

"How far is it to the next town?" Dean asked.

"It's about forty miles down to Sidewinder."

"Alright, I'm gonna go down there, see if I can find some help." Dean said, clapping Sam on the shoulder. "My partners will stick around, keep you guys safe."

"What?" I asked, turning to look up at him.

"Safe from what?" Dr. Lee asked, a worried look in her eyes.

"We'll get back to you on that." Dean said, turning to leave. I glanced up at Sam, quickly following Dean as he headed back to the Impala.

"Hey, you- you shouldn't just go out there alone Dean."

"Worried about me?" He asked, turning around with a smirk on his face.

"No." I quipped, shooting him a small smile before allowing a more serious look to cover my features. "I just don't feel comfortable with you going out there. I mean, God knows how many of those things there are..."

"I'll be okay." Dean said. "And you know we'll both feel better if you stay with Sam right now."

"Yeah. You're right." I nodded, looking up at him. "You better come back."

"I will." Dean nodding, shooting me a small smile. "And you better be here when I do."

"Always."

"Alright." Dean smiled, placing a kiss on my forehead before turning and gently pushing me back to the door. "Get inside."

I moved to the door, watching him get in the Impala before I went inside. Sam looked over with surprised eyes, walking up to me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"Why didn't you go with Dean?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" I asked, smiling at him.

"No." He muttered, shaking his head as a sad look took over his features. "Just- I just thought you guys were alright now."

"We- we are."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Of course I'm sure."

"Okay." Sam mumbled, clearly not believing me.

"What's going on?" I asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Doctor's looking over Mr. Tanner's blood sample." Sam said, leading me into the lab where Dr. Lee sat, looking into a microscope. Mrs. Tanner sat on a stool in the far corner, a blanket wrapped around her. Sam glanced over at the still covered body of Mr. Tanner before pacing in the small room anxiously. I folded my arms, leaning against one of the counters.

"Huh." Dr. Lee murmured, furrowing her brow.

"What?" Sam asked.

"His lymphocyte percentage is pretty high. His body was fighting off a viral infection."

"Well, what kind of virus?" I asked.

"Can't say for sure."

"Do you think an infection could have made him act like that?" Sam asked.

"None that I've ever heard of. I mean, some can cause dementia, but not that kind of violence. And besides, I've never heard of one that did this to the blood."

"Did what?"

"There's this...weird residue." She said, looking up at Sam and I. If I didn't know better I'd say it was sulfur."

"Sulfur?" Sam asked, his moth popping open in shock.

"Are you sure?" I asked, trying to control my reaction.

"That's what it seems like to me." Dr. Lee said. Sam and I shared a worried glance, trying not to let everyone else sense our nervousness.

"I don't understand." Mrs. Tanner mumbled. "Are you saying my husband and Jake had a disease?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Dr. Lee said, getting up to make her way across the small room to stand in front of her. "Now, during the attack, do you remember- did you have any direct contact with their blood?"

"Oh my God. You don't think I've got this virus, do you?"

"Beverly, I don't know what to think. But with your permission, we'll take a blood sample."

Mrs. Tanner nodded, holding her arm out. Dr. Lee shot her a small smile, reaching for her hand. Just as she did, Beverly grabbed her wrist tightly, letting out a loud, angry yell, trying to claw at the Doctor with her free hand. I moved over to the Doctor, pushing her out of the way, successfully getting her arm out of Beverly's grip.

Sam advanced on Beverly. She pushed him hard, sending him falling back into a glass cabinet. Glass shattered everywhere as she quickly grabbed a scalpel, moving towards him. I looked around the room frantically, finally finding a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall.

I quickly grabbed it, hitting Beverly over the head, watching as she fell unconscious to the ground. Sam swallowed hard, glancing down at her with worried eyes before giving me the same look.

* * *

Knowing now that we wouldn't be able to trust her, Sam and I moved Beverly to one of the closets, locking her inside.

"What do we do?" Sam asked, looking up at me.

"Wait until Dean gets back and figure out a plan." I said, trying to hide how I was really feeling about all of this.

"You know, Tori, I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to act brave for me." Sam said, a small grin tugging at his lips.

"You'll always be that little twelve year old nerd to me, kid." I said. "Get over it."

"That's not fair."

"Sorry, Shorty. That's just how it is." I said, ruffling his hair with my finger-tips, hearing him chuckle lightly behind me as I walked past him.  
…

There was a constant anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach the whole time Dean was gone, especially after what the Doctor had found in Mr. Tanner's blood sample. Sulfur. That only meant one thing to me, and it wasn't good. I worried for Dean, being out there alone. I just hoped he was being smart and staying safe.

After a while, I just stayed in front of the large window in the waiting room, peaking out of the now lowered blinds for any sight of the Impala while Sam sat on one of the couches, reading John's journal.

It felt like forever before I saw the car pull up and I immediately felt myself relax a little bit more at the sight of it. But all the stress quickly came pouring back when I saw Dean step out with Mark, the both of them holding guns on each other. My eyes widened and I ran out, my hand on my gun as Sam called for me, asking what happened.

"Wh-"

"It's okay, Tor." Dean murmured, seeing my defensive stance.

"What part of this is okay?!"

"Think we can quit this now?" Dean asked Mark, looking back at him.

"Put your gun down." Mark said.

"You put yours down first." Dean replied, raising an eyebrow. "Listen, I still don't know if I can trust you and I've got people I care about here. So if you're really _okay_ , then put your gun down."

Mark watched him for another moment, slowly lowering his gun. Dean waited a second, lowering his as well before the both of them headed over to the steps. I watched Mark closely, not taking my eyes off of him as Sam opened the door for us.

"Did you, uh, get to a phone?" Sam asked, looking to his brother.

"Road block." Dean said, turning to Mark. "I'm gonna have a word. Doc's inside."

Mark nodded, moving into the building to go find the Doctor. The three of us stayed in the doorway, keeping our voices down.

"What the hell was that about?"

"He didn't trust me, I didn't trust him." Dean shrugged. "Everything's fine."

I rolled my eyes at his response, looking him over real quick for any visible injuries. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What's going on out there?" Sam asked.

"Man, I don't know. I feel like Chuck Heston in the Omega Man. I mean, Sarge is the only sane person I could find. What are we dealing with, do you know?"

"The Doctor thinks it's a virus." I told him.

"Okay, great. What do you think?"

"I think she's right."

"Really?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. And I think the infected are trying to infect others with blood-to-blood contact."

"Oh, but it gets better." Sam added. "The uh, the virus? Leaves traces of sulfur in the blood."

"A demonic virus?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, more like demonic germ warfare. At least it explains why I've been having visions, why Tori's been feeling the way she has."

"It's like a Biblical plague." I muttered.

"You don't know how right you are." Sam said, taking a breath. "While you were waiting for Dean-"

"You were waiting for me?" Dean asked, a small smirk pulling at his lips.

"Time and place, Dean." I reminded, shooting him a small smile as he nodded.

"Anyway." Sam continued. "I was poring through Dad's journal, found something about the Roanoke colony."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Dad always had a theory about Croatoan. He thought it was a demon's name, sometimes known as Deva or sometimes Resheph. A demon of plague and pestilence."

"Well, that- that's terrific." Dean scoffed. "Why here, why now?"

"I have no idea. But who knows how far this thing can spread? We gotta get out of here, we gotta warn people."

"It doesn't matter." I mumbled, feeling the weight of Sam's words hit me.

"What?" Sam and Dean asked, both sets of eyes training on me.

"If it's a biblical plague...we can't- I mean, can we even stop that?" I asked, looking up at them with scared eyes. My words settled in as they exchanged a look, each one trying to not show how worried they were becoming.

"They've got one! In here!" Mark yelled suddenly from the other room. Dean's eyes snapped to mine and the two of us rushed over there with Sam behind us.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"The wife. She's infected." Sam told us.

"We've gotta take care of this. We can't just leave her in there. My neighbors, they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she'll get." Mark said.

Dean didn't hesitate a moment, pulling his gun out, stalking into the hallway where Pam and Dr. Lee were.

"You're gonna kill Beverly Tanner?" Pam asked, horrified.

"Doctor, could there be any treatment? Some kind of cure for this?" Sam asked, looking over to the doctor.

"Can you cure it?" Dean pressed, not giving her time to answer Sam.

"For God's sake, I don't even know what _it_ is!" Dr. Lee exclaimed.

"I told you, it's just a matter of time before she breaks through." Mark said.

"Just leave her in there, you can't shoot her like an animal!" Pam cried. Dean glanced over to me, then his brother silently asking for our opinions.

She was infected. There was nothing we could do to cure her. Were we just supposed to sit around and take chances? What if she got out? She could infect someone else.

Sam silently moved towards the door of a utility room as Dean and Mark held their guns ready. Sam glanced back at me for a moment, taking a deep breath before opening the door. I peered inside, seeing Beverly huddled up into a ball on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest as she leaned against the wall.

"Mark, what are you doing?" She asked, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Mark, it's- it's them! They locked me in here, they- they tried to kill me! They're infected, not me! Please, Mark! You've known me all your life! Please!"

"You sure she's one of them?" Dean asked, looking back to Sam, who nodded, a distressed look on his face.

Mark took a small step back, lowering his gun as his eyes welled up with tears. I watched, my stomach in knots as Dean swallowed hard, taking a small step forward. He glanced over at me once before looking back to Beverly, firing off two shots.

* * *

The shades were drawn, making the room even darker than before. Mark peered through them cautiously, watching the small group of people that had gathered outside. I leaned against one of the walls, watching Sam as he pulled out a hunting knife, checking the blade on it. My eyes drifted over to Dean, who was loading a gun, a thoughtful look on his face.

I heard the gunshots from before echoing in my head as I watched him, knowing he was thinking about my reaction to what he'd done. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother the part of me that wished I could save every person from every evil thing out there – but I also witnessed her attacking Sam, and I knew she couldn't be trusted.

I heard the sound of glass shattering and a high-pitched scream in the distance, and ran towards the room with Dean behind me, seeing Pam fanning her hands in front of her face, pulling the edge of her shirt out to look at it.

"Oh god! Is there any on me? Am I okay?"

"You're clean, you're okay." Dr. Lee said.

"Why are we staying here?" Pam asked. "Please, let's just go!"

"We can't. Those things are everywhere. It's too dangerous." I told her.

"Oh god..." Pam cried, sinking down onto the small couch in the room. The Doctor went over to sit next to her, trying to comfort her.

"She's right about one thing, we can't stay here." Sam said, coming over to us. "We've gotta get out of here. Get to the Roadhouse? Bobby's? I mean, we have to go somewhere, let people know what's coming."

"Yeah, good point." Dean said. "Night of the Living Dead didn't exactly end pretty."

"Well, I'm not sure we've got a choice." Mark said. "Lots of folks up here are good with rifles — even with all your hardware we're- we're easy targets. So unless you've got some explosives..."

Sam glanced up at a shelf of medical supplies, looking them over for a moment. "We could make some."

He went over to the shelf, taking down a bottle of potassium chloride, when a loud bang sounded on the door. We went rushing back out into the front room and Mark went over to the door, peeking through the blinds.

"It's Duane Tanner!"

"Thank god." Duane muttered, walking into the room. As soon as he did, I felt another pang of nausea flow through me, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

"Duane, you okay?" Mark asked. Dean leaned over to Sam, speaking quietly.

"That's the guy that I, uh-" Dean muttered, clicking his tongue.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Who else is in here?" Duane asked, trying to move towards the back rooms. I grabbed his arm, stopping him as he tried to walk past us.

"Wait a second."

"What?"

"Doctor, could you give Duane a good once-over, please?" I asked her, watching as she nodded, leading us all into the lab. I could tell right away that Sam and Dean knew I felt something off about Duane, and were instantly on alert.

"Who are you?" Duane asked, looking up at Dean, Sam and I.

"Never mind who we are." Dean said, looking up at Dr. Lee. "Doctor?"

"Yeah, okay." She nodded.

"Duane, where have you been?" Mark asked as Duane sat on a stool in the room.

"On a fishing trip up by Roslyn. I came back this afternoon. I- I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know. They started cutting him with knives. I ran, I've been hiding in the woods ever since." Duane said, getting slightly hysterical. "Has anybody seen my mom and dad?"

Dean pull in a breath of air through his teeth, glancing over at Sam and I. "Awkward..."

"Dean." I scolded, shaking my head.

Dr. Lee inspected Duane, pulling up one of his pant legs when she noticed blood tricking down his ankle. There was a huge gash there, blood pooling out of it. "You're bleeding."

"Where'd you get that?" Dean asked.

"I was running, I must have tripped." Duane muttered. I stared at him for a moment, feeling unsettled as I looked into his blue eyes.

"There's some rope in the other room." I said, glancing back to Sam. "We need to tie him up."

"Wait." Duane started, standing up.

Dean quickly pulled his gun out, pointing it at him. "Sit down!"

"I'm sorry, Duane, she's right." Mark said, a sad look in his eyes. "We've gotta be careful."

" _Careful_? About what?"

"Did they bleed on you?" I asked.

"No, what the hell?" Duane asked, furrowing his brow. "No!"

"Doc, any way to know for sure, any test?" Dean asked, looking over at her.

"I've studied Beverly's blood work backwards and forwards."

"My mom?" Duane cried.

"It took three hours for the virus to incubate. The sulfur didn't appear in the blood until then, so...no, there would be no way of knowing." She said. "Not until after Duane turns."

"Guys, I gotta talk to you." Sam said to Dean and I. "Now."

"Don't let him out of your sight." I told Mark, who nodded, looking over at Duane.

"Sit in that chair."

Sam led us back out to the waiting room with him, a troubled look on his face. "This is my vision. It's happening."

"Yeah, I figured." Dean muttered.

"You can't kill him, alright? Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not."

"I think we're pretty sure, Sam." I said. "I mean, this guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected…and on top of all of that, I felt sick as soon as I saw him."

"You've felt sick the whole entire time we've been here." Sam said. "We should keep him tied up. We should wait and see."

"For what? For him to Hulk out and infect somebody else? No thanks, can't take that chance." Dean said, starting to move past Sam, who stopped him with a hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Hey look, man, I'm not happy about this, okay? But it's a tough job and you know that."

"It's supposed to be tough, Dean. We're supposed to struggle with this, that's the whole point."

"What does that buy us?"

"A clear conscience, for one!"

"Well, it's too late for that." Dean said, trying to walk past Sam again.

"What the hell's happened to you?" Sam asked, stopping Dean once more. "You might kill an innocent man, and you don't even care! You don't act like yourself anymore, Dean. Hell, you know what? You're acting like one of those things out there."

"Sam, come on." I interjected.

"You don't think so, too? You don't see how he's changed?" Sam asked. Dean glanced back at me, not so patiently waiting for my reply.

"Don't put me on the spot like that, Sam." I said, seeing the disappointed look on Dean's face when I didn't come right out and deny his brother's claim.

"You think Dean should just go in there and blow that guys brains out? A possibly innocent guy? You'd be okay with that?"

"O- of course not, but we don't know-"

"Exactly, we don't know. Not yet."

"This is stupid." Dean mumbled, moving to walk past us again. Sam went to stop him, only this time, Dean pushed him away much harder, sending him stumbling back towards the wall.

"Hey, Dean, come on." I said, following after him.

I tried to reach for Dean's arm, but he shook my hand off, shutting the door in the hallway. Just as I tried to open it, I heard the lock click on the other side.

I immediately felt fear rush though me, and while Sam _was_ right, I have been feeling off since we first got here, and there was no real way for me to tell if something was wrong with Duane or not, all I could think about was him overpowering Dean...hurting him, possibly infecting him.

"Dean!" I exclaimed. "Dean, open the door!"

Sam rushed over then, rattling the doorknob. "Open the fucking door, Dean! Don't do it, Dean! Don't!"

"Dean!" I yelled, banging on the door.

Eventually I gave up on waiting for him to listen and scrambled around the front desk, looking for something I could try to get the door open with. I spotted a fire extinguisher, heading back over to the door with it. I smashed it down on the doorknob a few times, causing it to bend.

Sam grabbed a hold of it, giving a little extra leverage. After the both of us hitting it a few more times, the doorknob finally fell to the ground. I hit the door with my shoulder, causing it to pop open easily. I quickly ran ahead of Sam, heading to the lab to see Dean pointing his gun at Duane.

Dean's finger was on the trigger when he glanced over and saw me standing there, his hand trembling slightly as he looked back to Duane, finally lowering the gun.

"Goddammit." Dean grimaced, leaving the room with a huff as Duane panted in relief. I quickly closed the door, sealing Duane in the room again before following after Dean, who had gone to one of the examination rooms at the back of the building.

I leaned against the door frame, watching as he paced back and forth, the gun still in his hand.

"Dean?" I called quietly. He turned glanced up at me for a moment, looking back to the ground.

"So who unlocked the door?"

"No one." I said, taking a small step in the room. "Busted the doorknob with a fire extinguisher. That thing's been my best friend today."

"Really wanted to get in there, huh?"

"You should've known a locked door couldn't stop me." I muttered in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"I guess." Dean mumbled, kicking the toe of his boot on the ground as he looked up at me. "So...you really think I'm like one of those things out there?"

"No, of course not." I told him honestly. "That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, not to Sam." Dean scoffed.

"He didn't mean that."

"But he thinks I've changed." Dean said. "You do, too."

"We've all changed-"

"Tori."

"You're a little more trigger happy than usual." I admitted. "There, happy?"

"No." Dean mumbled, looking back down at the floor again. "That guy, he's not- I mean, you felt something, right?"

"I did, yeah. I don't know what it means though. I've been feeling sick on and off since we've been here. I'm not sure how trustworthy my... _demon GPS_ is right now."

"Alright." Dean sighed, walking over to me. "Let's head back out."

"Okay." I nodded, rubbing a comforting hand on his arm as the two of us made our way back to the waiting room.

* * *

A little bit later, the three of us sat on the small couch, a few bottles and rags scattered around us as we made up the various explosives. Heels clicked on the floor in the distance as Dr. Lee walked out to us, stopping in front of the table.

"It's been over four hours. Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected. I'd like to untie him, if that's alright."

Dean glanced over at me, then Sam, a hard look on his face. I looked up to the Doctor, shaking my head. "I don't know if that-"

"Sure. Yeah." Sam muttered, cutting me off. Dr. Lee turned on her heel, leaving us alone again.

"Sam."

"Tori, you even said we can't trust those feelings you're getting right now. He's fine."

"We don't really know that."

"Dean, you have to think he's alright." Sam said, looking over at his brother.

"What?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "When did I say that?"

"You didn't have to _say it_ , Dean. What happened before made it pretty clear."

Dean rolled his eyes, going back to the bottle in his hand. "That didn't mean I don't think he's not infected."

"Then why?"

"Sam-"

"You had to know I was gonna ask you why."

"Yeah, I know." Dean mumbled.

"So why? Why didn't you do it?"

Dean looked up at his brother, glancing over at me before turning away. "We need more alcohol."

Sam let out a low huff, standing up from the couch. "I'll get it."

I watched him go, waiting until he was in the other room to turn to Dean. "Why didn't you do it?"

"Jesus, what's with all the questions?" Dean snapped, looking up at me from the things in his hands.

"It's actually just one question."

"I don't know why!" Dean exclaimed, catching my raised eyebrow, knowing I didn't buy that for a second. "When I...shot Beverly, you looked- you just looked at me in a weird way. I just didn't want to see that again...and I just- I couldn't make myself do it."

"See, you haven't changed all that much."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the room Sam had been in. Dean and I quickly got up, each of us grabbing a gun as Mark came out from the other room, following us as we rushed over there. As Dean kicked the door open, Pam was straddling Sam on the floor, her wrist placed firmly on his blood covered chest. Dean shot her three times, causing her to fall over to the floor where her wounds bled out.

"Oh my god, Sam." I muttered, reaching out to grab his outstretched hand. Mark quickly pulled me back, glaring down at Sam.

"She bled on him. He's got the virus."

My eyes widened as I stared down at Sam's blood covered shirt, watching him pull his hand back, staring up at Dean and I with scared eyes.

* * *

 **LAB – NIGHT**

What was there to say? That I was worried? Nervous? Scared?

I didn't know what to feel. I was numb. I felt like none of this could be real, like none of this could actually be happening. I didn't want it to be true.

The same sounds kept replaying in my head. The same sinister, evil voice.

 _Sam's not gone. But he will be._

Is this the moment? Is this what that meant? Sam can't go...not yet. This can't happen.

My tear filled eyes drifted up from the floor, looking at Sam as he sat on the stool in the middle of the room, his eyes glued to the floor at his feet. Right now he looked much more like the little kid that I'd bonded with so quickly all those years ago. The young, nerdy boy I'd been lucky enough to call my brother for so long now.

"Check his wound again, would you?" Dean asked Dr. Lee as he paced angrily across the room, a furious look in his eyes. "Doctor!"

"What's she need to examine him for?" Mark asked. "You saw what happened."

"Did her blood actually enter your wound?" Dr. Lee asked Sam.

"Come on, of course it did!" Mark interrupted, not giving Sam the chance to answer.

"We don't know that for sure." Dean said.

"We can't take a chance." Duane muttered.

"You know what we have to do." Mark said, looking over at Dean.

"Nobody is shooting my brother."

"He isn't gonna be your brother much longer, you said it yourself."

"Nobody is shooting anyone!" I exclaimed, anger rushing through me at all the talk of killing Sam.

"He was gonna shoot me!" Duane argued, throwing a hand out in Dean's direction.

"And if you don't shut the fuck up, I just might finish what he started!" I yelled, feeling my stomach clench as I stepped closer to Duane.

"Hey...they- they're right." Sam muttered quietly. "I'm infected. Just give me the gun and I'll do it myself."

"Yeah, right." I snapped, shaking my head at him.

"You can forget that." Dean said.

"Guys-"

"Sam, we've still got some time-"

"Time for what? Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry, I am. But we gotta take care of this." Mark said, pulling out his gun. Dean and I reacted immediately, taking a step towards him. I felt the anger radiate off of Dean as he glared up at Mark, his tone threatening.

"I'm gonna say this one time – you make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand?" Dean asked, raising his voice when he didn't get an answer. "Do I make myself clear?!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean pull out his keys, throwing them to Mark. "Get the hell out of here, that's what. Take my car. You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there. You two go with Duane. You've got enough firepower to handle anything now."

"What about you?"

"Dean, Tori, no. No, go with them." Sam said, looking up at us with tear-filled eyes. "This is your only chance!"

"You're not gonna get rid of us that easy." Dean said.

"No, he's right. Come with us." Mark said, looking between Dean and I. I glanced up at Dean, seeing the same resolved look that my eyes held mirrored in his before looking back to Mark.

"You better go." I told him.

Mark shrugged, moving to lead Duane and Dr. Lee out of the room. "Okay, it's your funeral."

"I'm sorry. Thanks for everything, Marshals." Dr. Lee murmured in the doorway.

"We're not really Marshals." Dean muttered. I shook my head at his response, gently pushing Dr. Lee out of the room, closing the door behind her. If anything _was_ going to happen, it wouldn't be fair for her to get hurt. All she did was try to help.

A few minutes of silence passed as Dean paced in front of Sam, who seemed to be breaking down more and more as the seconds ticked by. I just couldn't believe this was happening. I didn't understand why. Why Sam? Why now?

"Wish we had a deck of cards, or a foosball table or something." Dean mumbled.

"Please, don't do this." Sam murmured, his voice cracking as he started to cry. "Just get the hell out of here."

"No way."

"Give me my gun, and leave."

"Sam, no." I said, taking a step forward. Sam slammed his fist down on the metal table beside him in anger, it's contents rattling off onto the floor. I flinched back slightly, sharing a worried look with Dean before turning back to Sam, who shook his head.

"This is the dumbest thing you've ever done."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa?" Dean asked, shuddering.

"Jesus, Dean." I sighed, shaking my head as he shrugged.

"I'm sick." Sam said. "It's over for me, it doesn't have to be for you guys."

"No?"

"No, you two can keep going."

"Who says we want to?" Dean asked.

"What?" Sam asked, looking between his brother and I. Dean moved over to one of the low file cabinets, sitting down on it.

"I'm tired. I'm tired of this job, this life...this weight on my shoulders, man. I- I'm tired of it." Dean muttered, looking over at me. "I know you are, too."

"Yeah..." I admitted, folding my arms.

"So what, so you're both going to give up? You're just gonna lay down and die?" Sam asked, shaking his head. "Look, I know this stuff with Dad has-"

"You're wrong." Dean said. "It's not about Dad. I mean, part of it is, sure, but..."

"What is it about?"

Suddenly, there was a noise outside, followed by a low knock. I moved to open the door, peering out cautiously to see Dr. Lee standing there.

"You better come see this."

The boys and I followed her back outside where Mark and Duane already stood. As soon as we stepped out, I noticed the deathly silence enveloping the abandoned town.

"There's no one. Not anywhere." Dr. Lee muttered. "They've all just...vanished."

* * *

After heading back inside, Dr. Lee took a small sample of Sam's blood to do some tests on it. Mark and Duane stayed out in the waiting room area, doing God knows what. Truthfully, I didn't really care at this point. My mind was too scrambled.

Dean and I stood in the hallway, peering into the slightly cracked open door every so often to check on Sam, who was sitting on a chair in one of the rooms. I couldn't seem to get the thoughts of what John said back at the hospital out of my head and eventually had to say something.

"Dean...do you remember what John said back at the hospital? About Sam?" I asked cautiously, my voice shaking as I started getting emotional. Dean leaned against the wall, staring straight ahead as he nodded once. "We don't- we're not- we can't-"

"That's not gonna fucking happen." Dean said, his voice growing angry at the very thought of what John told us.

"Hey." Dr. Lee called from the doorway to the lab. "I think you're gonna want to see this."

Dean and I shared a look before I went into the room behind us to get Sam. I knocked on the wall to get his attention, shooting him a small smile when he looked up.

"Doctor wants to see us."

"Okay." Sam nodded, slowly standing to his feet. When he got over to me I gently took his arm in my hands as he tried to pull away, shaking his head. "Tori that's not a good idea."

"Sam, stop." I said, gripping his arm tighter, leaning into his side as we made our way to the lab where Dean already stood next to the Doctor.

"So what is it?" I asked, looking over at her.

"Well, it's been five hours and Sam's blood is still clean." Dr. Lee said, looking up at Sam from the microscope in front of her. I felt relief rush through me at her words, finally taking a full breath. "I don't understand it, but I think you dodged a bullet."

"But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?" Sam asked, his voice full of shock.

"I don't know. But you're just not. I mean, you compare it with the Tanner samples-" Dr. Lee looked into another microscope, pausing for a moment before pulling back. "What the hell?"

"What?"

"Their blood. There's no trace of the virus. No sulfur, nothing."

"How is that even possible?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"But Sam's blood, it's clean." Dean asked, his voice full of relief.

"Yes." Dr. Lee nodded, shooting him a small smile.

Dean immediately headed for the door, patting a still shocked Sam's shoulder on the way. "Let's get the hell out of here then, huh?"

* * *

 **PARKING LOT – DAY**

Mark and Duane stood at the back of a large pick-up truck, loading the back with multiple bags full of guns and other various supplies as Sam, Dean and I made our way over to the Impala.

"Hey, the Sarge and I are getting the hell out of here, heading south. You should come." Duane said, glancing up at Dr. Lee, who stood in the doorway of the clinic.

"I'd better get over to Sidewinder, get the authorities up here. If they'll believe me." Dr. Lee muttered.

"Take care."

Mark waved over to her, then Sam, Dean and I before getting into his truck with Duane. I noticed how he was suddenly trying to keep his distance from me, staying as far away as possible. I thought it was a little strange, but I did threaten to shoot him before...so that could be why.

"What about him?" Dean asked, nodding to Duane.

"He's going to be fine. No signs of infection." Dr. Lee told him, waving at us before heading back inside. Dean turned back around to Sam, a questioning look on in his eyes.

"Hey man, don't look at me." Sam shrugged. "I got no clue."

"Any ideas?" Dean asked, looking to me.

"Nope. I'm just as lost as you are."

"I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean, why here, why now? And where the hell did everybody go? It's like they just fucking melted."

"Why was I immune?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. You know what? That's a good question." Dean muttered, clearly itching to get out of this town. "You know, I'm already starting to feel like this is the one that got away?"

* * *

 **LAKESIDE – DAY**

Even though Sam wanted to try and find another job to do, but instead, Dean insisted on getting some beer and heading over to a lake we'd passed on our way to Rivergrove.

Now the three of us were leaning against a fence around a small lake, watching the water in silence. I took a small swig of my beer, watching the sun dance across the dark blue water in front of us.

"So, last night. You want to tell me what the hell you were talking about?" Sam asked, looking over at Dean and I.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"What do I mean? I mean you said you were tired of the job. And that it wasn't just because of Dad."

"Forget it."

"No, I can't. No way."

"Come on man, I thought we were all going to die, you can't hold that over me."

"No, no, you can't pull that crap with me." Sam said, looking between Dean and I. "One of you is talking."

"And what if we don't?"

"Then I guess I'll just have to keep asking until you do."

"I don't know." Dean sighed, looking over the bridge. "I just think maybe we ought to...go to the Grand Canyon."

"What?"

"Yeah, you know, all this driving back and forth across country – you know I've never been to the Grand Canyon? Or we could go to T.J. Or Hollywood, see if you can bang Lindsay Lohan." Dean said, shooting Sam a smirk before looking over to me. "How does that sound to you?"

"The Grand Canyon part or the banging Lindsay Lohan part?" I asked forcing a smile on my face, trying to hide my nervousness. "Because the Grand Canyon sounds great, but I'm not sure banging Lindsay Lohan would be a good idea...you know, for anyone."

"You guys aren't making any sense." Sam muttered.

"I just think we should take a break from all this. Why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility, you know?" Dean asked. "Why can't we live life a little bit?"

Even though I knew why, I was still a little surprised that any of this was coming from Dean. It sounded more like something I would say.

"Why are you saying all this?" Sam asked. Dean shook his head, turning away from his brother with a sigh. "No, no. Listen guys, we're family. So whatever weight you're carrying, let me help a little bit."

"Sam, it- it's nothing."

"You're lying."

"I am not." Dean insisted.

"Does this-" Sam paused, pulling in a deep breath. "You know, last night I heard you guys talking in the hallway..."

"What?" I asked, the pit in my stomach growing.

"What were you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit." Sam said. "It was about Dad. And me. What was it? Tell me."

"Sam, we- we can't. We promised." Dean mumbled quietly.

"I deserve to know." Sam said, his eyes darting between us. I shared a nervous look with Dean, completely torn on what to do. Sam didn't need to hear about what John wanted us to do.

"I don't think you should know." I told him honestly.

"What? Why not?"

"Because, Sam. It's- it's- you just- you really wouldn't _want_ to know."

"Why?" Sam asked, clearly getting frustrated. Dean pulled in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them.

"Right before Dad died, he told Tori and me something." Dean muttered, glancing over at me to gauge my reaction. I just watched him, my eyes starting to tear up as I realized what was about to happen. "He told us something...about you."

"What?" Sam asked, his eyes darting between Dean and I. "What did he tell you?"

"Sam, please don't make us tell you. Please." I said, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"It can't be that bad." Sam muttered.

But the truth is that it _was_ that bad, worse even. And I feared the outcome of us telling him could be worse than anything that John was expecting.

That nightmare still meant nothing...right?

* * *

 **Long time no see...**

 ***Here comes the apology and excuses...***

 **Super sorry guys, but you know...real life gets in the way sometimes. My brand new laptop screen pretty much shattered internally, so I had to wait to get a new one. Also I had a terrible case of writers block and couldn't decide what to do with this chapter. In the end, I played it a little safe and it's not completely perfect, but I think if I waste anymore time on this one chapter, my head will explode.**

 **I hope you can forgive me after such a long pause in updating. I'll really try to be better at updating on a more regular basis because I really want to get this story moving! Believe it or not, I actually have what I want to do for this story planned out up until the current (11th) season!**

 **That's a whole lot of writing, but I really want to do it!**

 **I'm curious though, since this chapter has a lot to do with a certain demonic virus...did any of you guys take part in Croatoan day last year? 'Cause I sure did ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll check back** **and correct any** **mistakes** **later** **if I find some** **.**

 **D** **on't forget to leave a review and follow me on Twitter phoenixfire779 (only if you want, no pressure here)**

 **Have a nice, day, evening or night! :D**


	10. Hunted

_Do you recall that long ago  
We would walk on the sidewalk  
Innocent, remember?  
All we did was care for each other  
But the night was warm, we were bold and young  
All around, the wind blows  
We would only hold on to let go  
_…

 _What will we do when we get old?  
Will we walk down the same road?  
Will you be there by my side  
Standing strong as the waves roll over  
Nights are long, longing for you to come home  
All around, the wind blows  
We would only hold on to let go  
_… _._

 _Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
We all need someone to lean on  
Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
All we need is somebody to lean on  
All we need is somebody to lean on _

_**Pentatonix – Lean On (Cover)**_

* * *

Sam stood in front of Dean and I, his eyes full of a mixture of emotions as he watched us. "Tell me."

"He said that he wanted us to watch out for you, to take care of you." Dean told him, my eyes starting to fill up with tears.

"He told you guys that a million times." Sam said, worry covering his features when he saw the tears in my eyes.

"Sam." I muttered, my voice quiet as I pleaded with him. "Just let-"

"No, I want to know, Tori." Sam said, swallowing hard. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can take it."

I shared a look with Dean, waiting for his approval before I said anything. He let his eyes dart over to the water for a split second before retuning to mine, nodding once.

With a deep breath, I looked back up at Sam, trying to push the words out. "John said- he told us that we had to save you."

"Save me from what?"

"He just said that we had to save you, that nothing else mattered." Dean told him, getting choked up. "And that if we couldn't, we..."

"What?" Sam asked, looking nervously at us.

"We'd have to kill you." Dean said, barely above a whisper. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see Sam's immediate reaction to that. "He said that we might have to kill you, Sammy."

"Kill me?" Sam asked, a stunned look on his face. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know."

"I mean, he must have had some kind of reason for saying it, right? Did he know the demon's plans for me? Am I supposed to go dark-side or something?" Sam asked desperately. "What else did he say"

"Nothing. That's it, I swear."

"How could you not have told me this?"

"Because it was Dad, and he begged us not to."

"Who cares?!" Sam exclaimed, his anger showing through. "Take some responsibility for yourself! You two had no right to keep this from me!"

"Sam that- that's not fair." I said, shaking my head.

"You think I wanted this? Huh?" Dean asked, getting frustrated. "I wish to God he'd never opened his mouth. Then I wouldn't have to walk around with this screaming in my head all day."

Sam quickly turned on his heel, anger radiating off him in waves. "We've just got to figure out what's going on, then, what the hell all this means."

"We do?" Dean asked. "I've been thinking about this, I think we should just lay low, you know? At least for a while. It'd be safer. And that way we can make sure-"

"What? That I don't turn evil? That I don't turn into some kind of killer?"

"I never said that."

"Jeez, if you're not careful you guys will have to waste me one day." Sam spat, sending a flash of anger run though me.

"Stop it, Sam. We never said that...John did. I mean, you think we'd ever really do that to you?" I asked, taking a few steps towards him. "None of us know what's really going on here, okay? You're mad, I get it. I understand. I would be, too. All Dean and I are asking is that we lay low...just until we figure out what's going on here."

"Sam, please, man. Just give us some time to think." Dean said. "I'm begging you here. Please."

Sam glanced down to the ground, keeping his eyes there as he nodded reluctantly.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

The fog settled around me in the darkness, sounds of low growls echoing in the distance as I opened my eyes to an empty parking lot that I stood in the middle of. I felt a shift in the air, like someone was standing over my shoulder, watching me. My eyes scanned the parking lot, finding a pair of deep red ones staring back at me from across the way.

My breath flew out of my mouth as the Hellhound scraped the pavement with it's paw, it's claws digging deep into the ground I took a few cautious steps back, keeping my eyes trained on the black horse-sized wolf as it watched me.

Just as the Hellhound let out another big huff of air, I turned and started running as it raced towards me. I heard it's heavy paws hitting the ground as my heart pounded faster and faster.

There was no way I could outrun this thing. For every few steps I'd made, the Hellhound took a leap towards me, only leaving a small gap of space between us. It wouldn't be long before it was able to reach it's paw out and grab me. I made my way through the thick treeline, pushing branches out of my way as I ran as fast as my feet would carry me.

Even though I didn't want to, I eventually mustered the courage to look behind me. As I did, I saw one of it's huge paw reach out towards me. Just before the paw hit my back, the Hellhound's glowing red eyes turned into a bright yellow, and in my shock, I stumbled to the ground into an open clearing, breathing heavily.

My eyes snapped open to the dimly lit motel room I'd fallen asleep in the night before. I tried to control my erratic breathing, glancing over to my right to see that Dean was still fast asleep. I slowly sat up, pushing some of my hair off my face and neck and up into a ponytail as I got up to get some water.

Another nightmare involving yellow eyes.

I was starting to get increasingly paranoid, fearful that those nightmares meant a lot more than I'd been giving them credit for. I wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

On the way to the refrigerator, I noticed Sam's bed was empty and the bathroom door was cracked open. My heart immediately sank as I thought about what that meant and I quickly turned on the lights to see that all his things were gone.

"Dean!" I called, rushing over to shake him.

"Wha- what?" He slurred, rubbing his eyes.

"Sam." I muttered, watching his eyes snap wide open.

"What about Sam?" Dean asked, immediately alert, sitting up.

"He's...gone." I murmured. Dean shot off the bed, grabbing his keys and heading over to the door. "Dean, where are you going?"

"To get Sam!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, just- just wait. Wait a second." I said, gently grabbing his arm as he reached for the doorknob. "We don't even know where he went."

"Well, I'm gonna find out."

"Let's just think here."

"I am thinking!" Dean exclaimed, looking down to the ground, his voice growing smaller. "Tor, we have to go find him."

"I know." I nodded, locking eyes with Dean for a moment before he made his way outside. I moved over to the side of the bed, collecting some of our things, throwing them into a bag before grabbing my jacket and heading out to the Impala.

* * *

 **CAREY HOUSE – DAY  
** SPOV

There wasn't much to say about what I'd done the past day or so. Sure it probably wasn't right that I'd left Dean and Tori with no explanation – I just disappeared. Ellen told me they were worried sick, and I knew they would be. But I didn't think they would understand why I needed to do this. Maybe Tori would, but she would tell Dean and he definitely wouldn't get it.

Especially after what they'd told me...what Dad said they'd have to do – that they'd have to kill me. I know that would never happen, not if they had anything to say about it. But the fact that it was even said, it just knocked the wind out of me.

And now I just needed space, time to myself to figure things out. I needed to find out _who_ I really was, what these visions meant, how many other people out there were like me. I just had to try and understand it all. And if that meant going it alone, then that was what I'd do.

Ash had found three other people, which was definitely less than I was expecting. Considering I already knew two of them, the information was a little underwhelming. The one person I hadn't known, maybe the one that I could get some more information from, Scott Carey, had gotten killed about a month ago – stabbed to death in a parking lot in Lafayette, Indiana, where he was from.

The mention of the state had me thinking about Tori, and the guilt of leaving her and Dean to worry started to hit me a little harder. But I couldn't worry about that right now.

In a way, I hated going to a grieving family's home to pry for answers to all my questions, but there was something inside of me, something telling me I had to go there.

So I sat on the couch across from Scott Carey's fathers, who had a sad look in his eyes as he glanced up at me. "So you say you went to high school with Scott?"

"Uh, yes sir, I did. I just heard about what happened, I'm so sorry."

"Scotty was a good boy. He changed a lot since you knew him."

"What do you mean?"

"It started about a year ago with these headaches. And then he got depressed, paranoid, nightmares."

"Nightmares? Um, did he ever talk to you about his nightmares? What he saw, or-"

"No, no. He closed up with me. I tried to get him help, but nothing took. He'd just lock himself in his room for days." Mr. Carey muttered.

"You think maybe I could see his room?" I asked cautiously.

"Um, sure." Mr. Carey nodded, leading me to Scott's bedroom.

I made my way inside, noticing the bare bed with a sleeping bag on top of it. All the bookshelves were covered in cassette tapes and various books lying on their sides. On the nightstand there were several pill bottles. I read the label and the doctor's name, glancing behind me to make sure Mr. Carey wasn't there before stuffing the bottle into one of my pockets, moving throughout the room again. I opened the closet, shoving Scott's clothes aside to look at the wall behind them.

My eyes widened when I saw all the magazine clippings and photos of yellow eyes cut out and glued to the wall. I stared at them for a few moments, almost not believing what I was seeing before quickly pushing the clothes back in place, rushing out of the bedroom.

* * *

 **BLUE ROSE MOTEL – NIGHT**

Making my way through the parking lot, I almost couldn't get the thought of those yellow eye pictures out of my head. What had made Scott go so crazy? It was like he'd lost his mind. I mean, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I don't think I'm anywhere near that. At least, not yet.

As I moved to the motel door, I felt the presence of someone behind me, quickly grabbing the figure behind me, shoving them against the wall. The girl breathed heavily, her eyes wide and scared as she stared at me.

"Who are you?" I demanded to know.

"Please!" She cried, holding her hands up. "You're in danger."

I was slightly taken a-back by her, furrowing my brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you. In a dream, I saw you. And I saw something bad happen to you and-"

"What?"

"Okay, look, I know how all this sounds, but I am not insane and I am not on drugs-"

"Wait, wait." I said, stopping her in the middle of her frantic plea. "Why don't we go inside? We can talk there."

"Yeah. Sure." She nodded. I opened the door, motioning for her to step inside first, which she did, immediately pacing back and forth. "Listen, I don't know what the hell is going on but I am normal, and this is way, way off the map for me, so-"

"Alright, alright." I said, holding my hands out. "Just- just calm down, okay? What's your name?"

"Ava." She muttered. "Ava Wilson."

"I'm Sam Winchester, alright? Now, you were telling me about these dreams of yours?"

"Uh, yeah, uh, okay, about a year ago I started having these, like, headaches, and just, nightmares, I guess." She said. "And I really didn't think much of it until I had this one dream where I saw this guy get stabbed in a parking lot."

"When was this?" I asked, immediately thinking of Scott Carey.

"Uh, about a month ago. But, anyway, a couple of days later, I found this." She said, pulling out a newspaper clipping with a picture of Scott next to a headline that read: **Local Man Stabbed To Death In Parking Lot.**

"I saw this guy die, days before it happened." Ava said, her voice getting frantic again. "I don't know why- I don't know, it's just for some reason, my dreams are coming true. And last night I had another one."

"Okay." I nodded for her to continue.

"About you. I saw you die."

"How did you find me?"

"Oh, uh, you had a motel stationary. And I googled the motel...and it was real, and so I just thought that I should warn you."

"I don't believe this." I mumbled, in shocked that there was another person out there like me, one that Ash didn't find.

"Oh, oh, of course you don't. You think I'm a total nutjob." Ava scoffed.

"Wait, no, no, no, I mean, you must be one of us."

"Sorry, one of who?"

"One of the Psychics. Like me. Look, Ava, I have visions too, alright? So we're connected." I told her.

"Okay, so, you're nuts." She laughed. "That's great."

"Okay, okay, look. Did your mother happen to die in a house fire?"

"No, my mother lives in Palm Beach!" She exclaimed.

"So you don't fit the pattern either." I mumbled, watching as she frowned in confusion.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT  
** TPOV

Dean sped down the long road, more reckless than I'd ever seen him drive before. I'd suggest driving, but I don't think I was in any better shape to do that than he was, thoughts of that nightmare I'd had constantly replaying in my head. I felt like I was always looking over my shoulder, waiting for the moment a Hellhound would be there.

"Why the hell would he do this?" Dean asked, his hands clenched hard on the steering wheel. We'd been driving aimlessly for what felt like forever now. Sam wouldn't answer either of our calls and both Dean and I found ourselves getting frustrated...and scared.

"I don't know. I just hope he's okay." I muttered, resting my arm on the door.

Just then I felt my phone ring and grabbed it, seeing Ellen's name flash across the screen. We'd called her not too long after leaving the motel. I was hesitant, but Dean insisted, so I gave her a call. And then twenty more. So far she'd had no information on Sam, but the fact that she was calling back gave me a little hope.

"Is it Sam?" Dean asked.

"No. Ellen." I told him, quickly flipping the phone open, putting it on speaker. "Hello?"

" _Hey honey._ " Ellen murmured into the phone. She was being a lot nicer to us than I thought she was going to, which was a little strange, but I was grateful for it in the situation we were currently in.

"Did you hear anything from Sam?"

" _I have. But he made me promise not to tell you where he is._ "

"Come on, Ellen, please. Something bad could be going on here, and I swore I'd look after that kid." Dean said desperately.

" _Now kids, they say you can't protect your loved ones forever._ " Ellen muttered, taking in a small breath. " _Well, I say screw that. What else is family for? He's in Lafayette, Indiana._ "

I felt a small smile spread across my lips, sharing a look of slight relief with Dean. At least we knew where he was now.

"Did he mention what he's doing there?"

" _He had Ash look up a few things. About other kids like him._ " Ellen said vaguely, obviously not wanting to give too much information over the phone. I shared a curious look with Dean, wondering why Sam would be doing that.

"Thank you, Ellen."

" _Anytime, kids._ " Ellen said, hanging up the phone.

"So Sam's looking for other people like him?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. I just don't understand why."

* * *

 **BLUE ROSE MOTEL – NIGHT  
** SPOV

"Why can't you just leave town?" Ava asked, breaking my train of though "Please? Before you blow up?"

"No, I can't."

"Oh, god. Why not?"

"Because there's something going on here, Ava. With you, with me. I mean, there are others like us out there. And we're all a part of something, and I've got to figure out what." I explained.

"Okay, you know what? Screw you, buddy. Because I'm a secretary from Peoria and I'm not part of anything! Okay? Do you see this?" She asked, showing me her engagement ring. "I am getting married in eight weeks. I am supposed to be at home addressing invitations, which I am way behind on, by the way. But instead, I drove out here to save your weirdo ass. But if you just want to stay here and die, fine. Me? I'm due back on Planet Earth."

"Don't you want to know why this is happening?" I asked. "I mean, don't these visions scare the hell out of you? Because if you walk out that door right now you might never know the truth. I need your help."

* * *

 **DR. WAXLER'S OFFICE – DAY**

I almost thought Ava was going to leave, but in the end she decided to say and help. I thought the best place to start was with the doctor Scott Carey was seeing, the one that prescribed him his medication. Ava was currently sitting in a therapy session with Dr. Waxler while I got Scott's files from the next room that I'd broken into while he was distracted with her.

Once I was done, I made my way back out of the window, sitting on the ledge for a moment to listen in to Ava's conversation with the doctor through the cracked open window.

"So, Ms. Wilson, you're new in town." The Doctor muttered.

"That's right."

"And what made you decided to seek out therapy?"

"I have no idea."

"No?"

"No. I mean, I'm feeling really super anxious right now." Ava scrambled.

"Okay, anything else?"

"Um..." Ava mumbled. I decided then that I would make my way off the ledge, crossing in front of the window. I glanced in to see Ava's wide eyes when she noticed me there. "Holy crap!"

"What?" The doctor asked, turning to the window just as I jumped off.

"I just remembered, when I was a kid, I swallowed like, eight things of pop rocks and then drank a whole can of coke. You don't think that that counts as a suicide attempt, do you?" Ava asked, quickly making up for her outburst. I almost felt a small smirk spread across my lips, noticing how certain things Ava said sounded a lot like Tori.

I had to admit, the thought of calling Dean and Tori had crossed my mind a few times, but I had to focus on other things now. Like getting these files back to the motel before we got caught.

* * *

 **BLUE ROSE MOTEL – DAY**

I waited in the parking lot for Ava's _session_ to end and for her to get back out to her van before the two of us headed back to the motel, where we were currently walking into the room. I placed the files on the table, glancing over at Ava, who had a stunned look on her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, feeling concerned for her.

"Am I okay?" She repeated, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah."

"I just helped you steal some dead guy's confidential psych files." She paused, a small grin appearing on her lips. "I'm awesome!"

"Alright, then." I said, shooting her a small smile, sitting down at the table, fanning out a few of the papers in the file.

"So what now? Do we go steal a getaway car or something?"

"Uh, no. Now we go through all of this."

"Really?" She asked, a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"Yeah."

"Great." Ava mumbled, sitting in the chair across from me. "So this Scott guy...he's _one of us_? Whatever that means."

"Supposed to be, yeah." I nodded.

"Right."

* * *

After going through some of the paperwork, I decided to play the voice recorder that was in the file, placing in the middle of the table as Scott's therapy session echoed throughout the room.

" _It started a little over a year ago. Migraines, at first. Then I found I could do...stuff._ " Scott mumbled.

" _What do you mean, do stuff?_ " Dr. Waxler asked.

" _I have this ability. When I touch something, I can electrocute it if I want._ " Scott said quietly, his voice shaking with fear. My eyes widened as I glanced up at Ava, seeing her stare at the tape recorder with a look of shock on her face.

"And this _yellow-eyed man_ you've talked about." Dr. Waxler started. The mention of yellow eyes sent a small chill down my spine as he continued. "What else does he say?"

"He has plans for me. He says there's a war coming. That people like me, we're going to be the soldiers. Everything's about to change." Scott said, his voice turning frightened...yet sinister as he uttered the last words on the recording.

"He's not talking about us, right?" Ava asked, fearful.

"Yeah, I think he is."

"But how can we turn into that?"

"...I don't know."

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY  
** TPOV

As Dean pulled the Impala into the motel parking lot, and I scanned the windows of each room, looking for any sign of Sam. My heart practically jumped into my throat when I spotted him sitting on the bed in a room, the curtains halfway closed.

"Look." I called, slapping Dean's arm as I pointed to the window.

"Oh, thank God, he's okay." Dean sighed in relief, a big smirk appearing on his lips when Sam moved over, revealing a pretty brunette sitting next to him. "Oh, he's better than okay. That sly dog."

"Dean." I mumbled, rolling my eyes at him. "We don't know who she is. Could be another Meg."

Dean cringed at the mention of Meg, his eyes immediately narrowing at the girl. Suddenly, a gunshot flew through the motel window, shattering the glass. I saw Sam grab the girl, pulling the both of them to the ground as I quickly looked around for whoever did that. I squinted in the sunlight, seeing a man on the top of a building across the street.

"Look." I muttered, nodding up at the silhouette on the building. A furious look crossed Dean's face as he whipped the door open, getting out of the car. "What are you doing?"

"I think you know."

"Dean, no. That's dangerous. Let's just get Sam and go."

"Stay and watch Sam." Dean said over me, ignoring what I'd suggested as he moved to closed the door. Before doing so, he leaned down, shooting me a wink. "I'll be fine, you be careful."

"Yeah." I nodded, sliding over to the driver seat as Dean shut the door, making his way through the treeline towards the building across the street. I watched him for a few moments before moving the Impala back a few feet out of the way.

I know Dean didn't want Sam to know we were here yet, but I couldn't not say something to him, or make sure he was safe. Not after someone just tried to kill him right in front of me.

Just as I was about to go over to Sam's room, I looked up across the street and saw a man dragging an unconscious Dean to a car behind the building in the distance. My eyes widened and I immediately ran over to the trees, following the line until I could make my way across the street.

As I got closer I pulled out my gun, able to see more clearly the man shoving Dean into the backseat of his car.

"Gordon?" I called, taken by surprise at who I saw there.

Gordon turned around, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Well, well, well. I should've known you wouldn't be too far behind if Dean were here."

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. Just a little rifle to the face." Gordon muttered, nodding to the gun in my hands. "Why don't you put that down?"

"Why should I?" I asked, my eyes darting over to Dean, who was still unconscious.

Gordon chuckled, pulling out Dean's handgun, pointing it to his head. "Because I could kill him right now."

"I thought you said you didn't hurt people."

"Well, I'm being threatened." Gordon shrugged. "Now come on, don't make me do this. Put it down."

"I could kill you right now." I muttered, my breaths coming out heavy.

"But you won't. Because that's not in you, is it?" He asked, staring into my eyes. "You're not a killer, are you?"

"You don't know that." I said, not putting the gun down.

"There's something...off about you." Gordon said, staring into my eyes. I flinched back slightly, not liking the way he was staring me down. "Now, I know you won't play with Dean's life. So why don't you put the gun down?"

I clenched my teeth, weighting my options. I knew I was a good shot, but there was still that chance of him hurting Dean before anything happened to him. So I slowly placed the gun down, watching as he did the same.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"I have my reasons." He replied, making his way over to me to pick my gun up, a rope in his hand. He moved behind me, knotting the rope on my wrists tightly at my back before tying the blindfold around my eyes. Gordon grabbed my arm, roughly pushing me into the backseat of the car before heading around to the driver side, starting the car.

It wasn't everyday that we'd gotten kidnapped. I just didn't see a positive outcome to this whole situation.

* * *

 **CABIN – NIGHT**

Gordon roughly shoved me into a musty smelling room, moving me over to a chair where he tied me up even tighter than before, even going as far as taping my wrists and ankles to the legs of the chair.

"Time to bring in the boyfriend." He muttered, moving back outside. I heard a door shut, and was tempted to take my blindfold off, to get out of here, but I held that urge in. I knew better than to try and challenge a psycho like that. Especially while Dean was out of it, there was no way we'd be able to get away.

Gordon repeated the same routine with Dean, tying him in a chair a few feet to my left. When he was done, he stepped in front of me, pulling the blindfold off of my head. I blinked a few times, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting in the dusty cabin.

"Well, I think it's time for a drink." Gordon mumbled, looking down at me. "Would you like anything?"

"Are you even serious right now?"

"My mother always taught me to be nice to guests."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're making her real proud." I scoffed. Gordon quickly stepped back in front of me, leaning down on the chair, a threatening look in his eyes as he grabbed my chin roughly, digging his nails into my face.

"Don't you talk about her." He spat through gritted teeth, breathing heavily as he slowly moved away, walking behind me down a hallway. I watched him go for a moment, before turning back, looking over to Dean.

"Dean!" I called quietly a few times until he slowly started waking up.

"Wha- where-"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You?" Dean asked, looking over at me. "Did he do anything to you?"

"I'm fine." I told him, taking in a deep breath. "He didn't."

"Good morning." Gordon muttered as he came into the room, smiling down at me, then Dean. "How are you? Having a nice conversation?"

"Eat me." Dean snapped.

"At least everyone's in a good mood." Gordon said, glancing back at Dean as his phone started to ring. Gordon picked it up from the coffee table in front of Dean and I, looking down at the screen. "I wonder who this could be."

Gordon pulled his gun out, pointing it at Dean's head, making my heart jump in nervousness as he flipped the phone open, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?" Dean answered, keeping calm.

" _Dean!_ " Sam exclaimed, his voice echoing in the quiet room.

"Sam, we've been looking for you."

" _Yeah. Look, I'm in Indiana, uh Lafayette._ "

"I know."

" _You do?_ "

"Yeah. We talked to Ellen. We just got here, actually. It's a real funky town." Dean muttered, giving Sam a codeword, telling him we were in trouble. "You ditched us, Sammy."

" _Yeah, I'm sorry. Look, right now there's someone after me._ "

"What? Who?"

" _I don't know, that's what we need to find out. Where are you guys?_ "

"Staying at, uh, 5637 Monroe St. Why don't you meet us here?"

" _Yeah. Sure._ " Sam said, hanging up.

"Now, was that so hard?" Gordon asked, flipping the phone shut.

"Bite me." Dean spat. Gordon ignored him, turning his back on us as he opened a canvas bag on a table, pulling out various weapons. "So Gordy, I know the three of us ain't exactly your favorite people, but don't you think this is a little extreme?"

"What, you think this is revenge?"

"Well, we did leave you tied up in your own mess for three days. Which was awesome." Dean chuckled. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh."

"Yeah. I was definitely planning on whupping your ass for that."

"Mm-hm."

"But that's not what this is. This isn't personal. I'm not a killer, Dean. I'm a hunter. And your brother's fair game." Gordon said, shoving a knife into it's sheath. Dean's eyes widened, mirroring my shocked expression as we shared a look.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, watching Gordon as he grabbed a rifle, leaning back against the table casually.

"Well, see, I was doing an exorcism down in Louisiana. Teenage girl, seemed routine, some low-level demon. But between all the jabbering and the head-spinning, the damn thing muttered something. About a coming war. And I don't think it meant to, it just kind of slipped out. But it was too late. Piqued my interest. And you can really make a demon talk...if you got the right tools."

"And what happened to the girl it was possessing?" I asked, fearful of the answer.

"She didn't make it."

"Well, you're a son of a bitch." Dean spat.

"I know that's a sore subject for you." Gordon muttered, looking over at me. "But after everything, she was probably happy to be dead."

"Asshole." I hissed.

"So this demon tells me there are soldiers to fight in this coming war. Humans, fighting on Hell's side. You believe that? I mean, they're psychics, so they're not exactly pure humans, but still. What kind of worthless scumbag have you got to be to turn against your own race?" Gordon asked as Dean glared daggers at him. "But you know the biggest kick in the ass? This demon said I knew one of them. Our very own Sammy Winchester."

"Oh, this is...this is a whole new level of moronic, even for you." Dean said.

"Yeah? Come on, Dean. I know. About Sam's visions. I know everything."

"Really? Because a demon told you?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, and it wasn't lying."

"Hey, Dean. I'm not some reckless yahoo, okay? I did my homework. Made damn sure it was true. Look, you've got your Roadhouse connections, I got mine. It's how I found Sammy in the first place." Gordon explained, sitting in a chair in front of us. "About a month ago I found another one of these freaks here in town. He could deep-fry a person just by touching them."

"Yeah, did he kill anyone?"

"Well, besides Mr. Tinkles the cat? No. But he was working up to it. They're all gonna be killers, Dean. We've got to take them all out. And that means Sammy, too." He said, cocking the rifle in his hands.

"You think Sam's dumb enough to walk through that front door?" I asked.

"No, I don't. Especially since I'm sure you found a way to warn him. You really think I'm that stupid?" Gordon asked. Dean and I shared a glance, shooting a meaningful look up at Gordon as he stood and started pacing. "No. Sammy's going to scope the place first, see me covering the front door. So he's going to take the back. And when he does he'll hit the tripwire. Then-" Gordon paused, pulling out a grenade. "Boom."

"Sam's not gonna fall for a fucking tripwire." Dean said, getting nervous as he stared down at the grenade.

"Maybe you're right. That's why I'll have a second one." Gordon said, taking in our expressions. "Hey, look. I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this, I really do. But for what it's worth, it'll be quick."

Dean and I watched in fear as Gordon left the room, heading out to set up the tripwires and grenades. I felt my stomach churn as I thought about all of this, hoping to God that Sam would find a way around this.

* * *

As time passed by, Dean and I kept quiet, for once not trying to assure each other that everything would be alright. Neither one of us knew that right now, and I guess we both figured it was for the best to not lie.

My skin crawled as I heard Gordon's footsteps enter the room again, watching as he pulled another chair up in front of Dean and I, straddling it.

"Come on, man. I know Sam, okay, better than anyone. He's got more of a conscience than I do, I mean, the guy feels guilty surfing the internet for porn." Dean pleaded.

"Maybe you're right. But one day he's going to be a monster."

"How?" I asked, shaking my head. "How does someone like Sam become a _monster_?"

"Beats me."

"That's a real convincing case you've got there."

"But he will." Gordon insisted.

"No, you don't know that!" Dean exclaimed.

"I'm surprised at you, Dean. Getting all emotional." Gordon mumbled. "I'd heard you were more of a professional than this. Look, let's say you two were cruising around in that car of yours and, uh, you had little Hitler riding shotgun, right? Back when he was just some goofy, crappy artist. But you knew what he was going to turn into someday. You'd take him out, no questions, am I right?"

"That's not Sam."

"Yes it is. You just can't see it yet. It's his destiny. Look, I'm sympathetic. He's your brother, you love the guy. This has got to hurt like hell for you." Gordon said, pulling two scarves out of his bag, standing in front of us as he shoved one in my mouth, then Dean. "But here's the thing. It would wreck him, but your dad? If it really came right down to it, he would have had the stones to do the right thing here. But you're telling me you're not the man he is?"

Dean glared furiously at Gordon as he moved away, leaving us in the room again. I heard the lock of a door click in the distance, looking around to see if I could get a glimpse of Sam, to try and warn him away, but there was no use.

"You hear him?" Gordon asked, keeping quiet as the sound of a door creaking open echoed in the distance. I felt my breathing pick up as my body wracked with nerves. "Here he comes."

The tension in the room was building higher and higher as we waited. I glanced over at Dean as the first grenade went off, feeling the waves of the explosion bound through my body. I heard Dean yell at Gordon through his gag as I shut my eyes, trapping the tears behind my eyelids.

"Hold on. Not yet. Just wait and see." Gordon muttered.

When the second grenade went off, I felt my heart drop in my chest and screamed through the gag, letting my emotions take hold as sadness and anger flew through me. Dean struggled violently against his restraints next to me, choking slightly as he sobbed through the scarf in his mouth.

"Sorry." Gordon muttered emotionlessly as he stood to his feet in front of us, moving towards the back of the cabin with his rifle ready.

"No." I mumbled through the gag, tears spilling down my cheeks. Dean was still trying to get free next to me, straining against the ropes and tape.

Over my heavy breathing, I heard what I thought to be Sam's voice echo down the hallway. But I wouldn't let myself believe it was him, thinking that my mind was just playing a cruel joke on me.

"Put it down now!" Sam's voice echoed again and I glanced up at Dean, seeing the relieved look in his eyes, I finally allowed the fact that Sam really was okay to register.

"You wouldn't shoot me, would you, Sammy? Because those two in there, they think you're some kind of saint." Gordon said, the two of them getting closer to the room Dean and I were in as we both struggled against our ropes.

"Yeah? Well, I wouldn't be so sure." Sam replied.

"See, that's what I said."

I heard the sound of a gun clattering to the ground, turning around as a loud thud sounded in the hallway followed by some commotion. Gordon pushed Sam into the main room, where Dean and I could see him now. He laid flat on his back, coughing a few times as Gordon pulled a knife out. My eyes widened as I watched helplessly, wishing I could do something.

"You're no better than the filthy things you hunt." Gordon spat.

Just as Gordon raised the knife, Sam lunged forward, pushing him to the ground, punching him twice before grabbing the rifle, pointing it at him.

"Do it." Gordon taunted. "Do it! Show your family the killer you really are, Sammy."

I watched Sam hesitate for a moment, glancing over at Dean and I, before turning back to Gordon, hitting the butt of the rifle into his head, knocking him out.

"It's Sam."

Sam shuffled over to Dean and I, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder before shooting me a small smile as he took in our tear stained cheeks. Sam used the knife to cut our ropes and as soon as Dean and I we freed, we quickly ripped the gags out of our mouths. I pulled Sam up with me as I stood, bringing him into a tight hug with Dean in unison.

I'm pretty sure we'd never hugged him so tightly.

I took a small step back from Sam, looking over his injuries with Dean for a moment before glancing back to Gordon, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. A wave of rage hit me, heating up my insides as I left the boys, stomping over to grab the rifle that Sam had left on the ground.

I picked it up, about to cock it when I felt Sam place a hand on my arm, stopping me. I looked up seeing him shake his head before glancing behind him at the shocked look on Dean's face, knowing that he'd never really seen me react in that way, before returning my gaze to Sam.

"Tori, no."

"Sam we let him live once and look what happened. We can't make the same mistake again." I said, looking to Dean as he made his way over. "Right?"

"Right." Dean nodded, trying to take the gun from my hands as I pulled back. "But you're not doing that. I will."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Dean, I had to deal with that asshole threatening to kill you-" I said, nodding when Dean shot me a questioning look, obviously having to clue what took place while he was out. I pulled in a small breath, letting it out quickly in anger before continuing. "And him trying to kill Sam. There's no way I'm leaving here with him still alive."

Dean's eyes widened as he shared a shocked look with Sam, their eyes telling me they were taken off guard with my reaction. Without another word, I cocked the gun, turning back to Gordon, who started moving slightly. Just as I was about to shoot, Dean grabbed the rifle out of my hands, a worried look on his face.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, reaching for the gun.

"You need to calm down, Tori." Sam said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm just- I'm tired of people hurting my family." I muttered through gritted teeth, feeling the tears spring to my eyes as I broke down slightly. Dean gave Sam the rifle before pulling me to him, hugging me as I started to cry harder.

"I know, I know." Dean muttered. "You're not acting like yourself, that's not you."

"Maybe it should be."

"No, it shouldn't." Dean said, pulling back. "You're perfect how you are. You keep things in line, you have a level head, you think things through. Sam and I, we don't always do that-"

"Speak for yourself." Sam interjected.

I chuckled lightly as Dean rolled his eyes, turning back to me. "Point is, you can't change. We'd be lost without you. Dead within a week."

"Probably." I muttered, shooting him a small smile.

"And trust me, Gordon's taken care of. Come on." Sam said, looking between the two of us. I nodded, trusting that Sam had made a plan before he even came here, and started following him towards the door. I glanced back, seeing that Dean hadn't moved from his position, staring down at a still unconscious Gordon lying on the floor. I made my way back over to him, pulling lightly on his jacket to get his attention.

"Hey, what you said applies to you too. Let's go." I muttered when he looked over at me. I rested a hand on his arm, gently pulling him along. He nodded, reluctantly following me out of the house. Dean and I walked on either side of Sam, just to make sure he was okay as he staggered a big down the stairs of the cabin, heading away from it.

A few moments later, Gordon stumbled out behind us, a gun in each hand as he shot towards us. The three of us immediately ran into the thick line of trees and bushes for cover.

"You call this taken care of?" Dean called out as we ran, finding a small ditch behind the line of bushes. We huddled down, trying to keep quiet as we over the bank to see Gordon approaching.  
"What the hell are we doing?"

"Just trust me on this, alright?" Sam murmured as sirens blared in the distance. Seconds later, three police cars pulled into the small clearing, surrounding Gordon. The cops emerged out of their cars, their guns at the ready.

"Drop your weapons! Get down on your knees!" The one exclaimed. "Do it, now!"

I felt a small grin spread across my lips as Gordon dropped to his knees, placing his hands behind his head, glaring over in our direction. The cops cuffed Gordon, patting him down before leading him to a squad car. Another one of the cops opened the back door of Gordon's car, pulling out the weapons rack he had in there.

"Anonymous tip." Sam mumbled, a small grin on his face.

"You're a fine upstanding citizen, Sam." Dean smiled, patting his brother on the shoulder.

* * *

The ride back to the motel where the Impala had been left was a fairly short, but quiet one. Neither one of us said much, just keeping to ourselves as we through back to what happened. Before I knew it we were back at the motel, and I was finding myself becoming worried with what would happen next.

Would Sam leave again? After everything?

I got out of the car a few moments after Dean, leaving Sam on the phone in the passenger seat. Dean had his phone pressed to his ear, kicking his boot into the ground. I furrowed my brow in question as he whispered that he was speaking to Ellen. I nodded, leaning up against the car next to him as he put the phone on speaker.

" _Gordon Walker was hunting Sam?_ "

"Yeah. He almost killed the three of us because somebody over there can't keep their fucking mouth shut."

"Y _ou watch your mouth boy._ " Ellen said. " _And you honestly think that it was me? Or Ash? Or Jo? No way._ "

"Who else knows about Sam, huh?" Dean asked. "I mean, you must have been talking to somebody."

" _Hey, you can say a lot of things about us. But we are not disloyal. And we're not stupid. We haven't breathed a word of this._ "

"Gordon said he had Roadhouse connections, Ellen." Dean said, clearly not believing her.

After what happened back at the Roadhouse a few months ago, I honestly wasn't too sure what to believe. Would Ellen say something to someone about Sam out of revenge? She didn't seem like the type, and I'm sure if she wanted revenge for what happened, she wouldn't have helped us so many times now.

" _This roadhouse is full of other hunters. They're all smart. They're good trackers. Each of them with their own patterns and connections. Look, hell, I could name twelve of them right now that are capable of putting this together._ " Ellen sighed. " _I am sorry about what happened, Dean. But I can't control these people. Or what they choose to believe._ "

"Alright." Dean muttered. "...thanks for everything."

" _Sure. Bye._ " Ellen said, hanging up.

"I don't think she said anything, Dean." I said.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, pulling in a deep breath.

"It could've been anybody." I told him. "Let's go."

"Okay."

Sam got out of the car then, his phone pressed to his ear. "Hey, Ava, it's Sam. Again. Um, call me when you get this, just want to make sure you got home okay. Alright, bye."

"Is everything okay?" I asked, taking in the worried look on his face.

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Well, Gordon should be reaching for the soap for the next few years at least." Dean commented as we made our way over to the Impala.

"Yeah. If they pin Scott Carey's murder on him. And if he doesn't break out." I muttered.

"Always the optimist." Sam chuckled.

"Just being honest." I looking up at Sam. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you- I mean, do you want to, you know, leave?" I asked.

"You think after all that I'm just gonna take off again?" Sam asked, smiling at me.

"Wouldn't let you." Dean commented. "Because if you even tried to do that again-"

"What? You'd kill me?" Sam joked, his grin fading as he took in mine and Dean's expressions.

"That is so not funny."

"Alright, alright." Sam laughed. "So where to next, then?"

"One word. Amsterdam." Dean smiled.

"Dean!"

"Come on, man, I hear the coffee shops don't even serve coffee." Dean winked.

"Yeah, everything there is made of weed." I muttered sarcastically.

"Hey-"

"I'm not just gonna ditch the job." Sam said, looking between Dean and I.

"Screw the job. Screw it, man, I'm sick of the job anyway." Dean said. "I mean, we don't get paid, we don't get thanked. The only thing we get's bad luck."

"Come on, dude, you're a hunter. I mean, it's what you were meant to do." Sam said, looking over to me. "You too. After everything, you can't just leave."

"I don't know about that." I said.

"We weren't meant to do anything." Dean said. "I don't believe in that destiny crap."

"You mean you don't believe in _my_ destiny."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Look, Dean, I've tried running before. I mean, I ran all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me."

"We'll still try." I told him.

"Thanks for that." Sam smiled lightly. "Look guys, I'm gonna keep hunting. I mean, whatever is coming, I'm taking it head-on. So if you really want to watch my back, then I guess you're gonna have to stick around."

"Bitch." Dean muttered, glancing up at his brother as he smiled.

"Jerk."

"You two are children." I muttered playfully, folding my arms as I opened the back door of the Impala, sliding in. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

After driving for a while, Sam frowned down at his phone, picking it up and dialing a number again. He'd done that same thing over and over again more than a few times since we started driving and I was beginning to get worried.

"Are you sure everything is okay, Sam?" I asked.

"I don't know." He mumbled, bringing his phone to his ear.

"Are you calling that Ava girl again?"

"Yeah." Sam muttered.

"Can I ask a question?"

"Sure." Sam nodded.

"Ava...she's not- I mean...you know, with Meg-"

"She's not...like that." Sam said quickly. "Believe me, she's good."

"Oh yeah? She's _good_?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. "You sweet on her or something?"

"She's engaged, Dean."

"So? What's the point in saving the world if you can't get a little nookie once in a while, huh?" Dean asked, a smirk on his face.

"Hey." I mumbled, slapping his shoulder. "You're a pig."

"One of the many reasons you love me, right?"

"No." I said, seeing Sam smirk at Dean's pretend-hurt expression out of the corner of my eye before he frowned again, snapping his phone shut. "What's the matter?"

"Just a feeling." Sam shrugged, looking up at Dean. "How far is it to Peoria?"

* * *

 **AVA WILSON'S HOUSE – NIGHT**

Once we made it there, the three of us got into Ava's house, moving through the dark home with our flashlights. As soon as we took a step in, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, knowing something just wasn't right here.

"Hello? Is anybody home?" Sam called, leading the way through the house. We entered the bedroom, finding a man dead, face up on the bed, the sheets around him soaked in blood. "Oh my god."

"What the hell happened here?" I asked, glancing over at Dean as he ran a finger across the windowsill, staring down at a powdery substance on his finger.

"Sulfur. A demon's been here." Dean said, holding up his fingers. My stomach dropped as Sam knelt down to the floor, picking up something small. It was only when he held it up that I noticed it was a ring.

"Ava." Sam muttered, standing up, quickly leaving the room. I shared a look with Dean, following out after him as my stomach tightened up at the thoughts running through my head.

Even though I didn't know this girl, I felt for her. The poor girl was engaged, she had a whole life ahead of her, and now that was ripped away. If she was still out there right now, I knew what she was going through – all of us did. Each of us knew all too well what it was like to have a demon take someone you loved away from you.

Between what John had told Dean and I, what happened with Gordon, my nightmares, Sam's visions...everything seemed to be spiraling out of control more and more every day, and even though I wouldn't admit it out loud, for the sake of Sam and Dean, I felt myself growing less and less positive that the three of us would be able to stop any of it.

But we would try, because that's who we were. Sam was right, we couldn't give up now...and we wouldn't.

* * *

 **Again, sorry it took me so long to update, but I got a little sidetracked with the holidays. Anyway, H** **appy New Year everybody! Whose excited for Supernatural coming back in a couple weeks? I know I am ;)**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, I'll come back and check for mistakes later, but as usual I stayed up all night finishing this, so I'm beat lol**

 **Thanks for reading! :D**

 ***Shameless plug***

 **Follow me on twitter! phoenixfire779**


	11. Playthings

**_Important A/N at the bottom!_**

* * *

 _From the cradle bars  
Comes a beckoning voice  
It sends you spinning  
You have no choice  
You hear a laughter  
Cracking through the walls  
It sends you spinning  
You have no choice_

 _And don't forget when your elders forget_  
 _To say their prayers_  
 _Take them by the legs_  
 _And throw them down the stairs_  
 _When you think your toys have gone berserk_  
 _It's an illusion  
You cannot shirk_

… _._

 _Following the footsteps_  
 _Of a rag doll dance_  
 _We are entranced_  
 _Spellbound_

 _Following the footsteps  
Of a rag doll dance  
We are entranced  
Spellbound_

 _Spellbound, spellbound  
Spellbound_

 _ **Siouxsie and the Banshees – Spellbound**_

* * *

In the days after we had gone to Ava's apartment, all Sam seemed to be focused on was finding her. We'd stayed in Peoria, and at this point, we'd done everything I could possibly think of and there was still no trace of her. It was almost as if she'd just fallen off the face of the earth.

Being inside her apartment left me with an eerie feeling that I just couldn't seem to shake. I'd been around a lot of places that were invaded by demons, much more than I felt comfortable with, and I'd never had such a terrible feeling stay with me like this.

"Yeah. Okay." Sam muttered into the phone from across the room, breaking me out of my train of thought. "Thanks, Ellen."

"What'd she say?" I asked, moving a few of the many scattered papers in front of me so I could scoot to the foot of the bed.

"Oh, she's got nothing. And I've been checking every database I can think of — federal, state, and local. No one's heard anything about Ava, she just...into thin air, you know?"

"Yeah. That's a little...unsettling, huh?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think happened?"

"I have no clue." Sam mumbled, a strange look coming into his eyes as he stared at the table in front of him.

"What's the matter?"

"Huh?" He asked, looking up at me. It took him a moment for what I'd said to register and he shook his head. "Nothing."

"Sam, is there something you're not telling us?" I asked cautiously.

"No." Sam said adamantly, glancing up at the door with a look of relief clear on his face as Dean entered, stopping the conversation dead in it's tracks.

"How's everything going?" Dean asked, handing Sam one of the cups of coffee he was carrying before giving me mine.

"Thanks." I murmured, shooting him a small smile.

"Fine." Sam replied. "What about you?"

"No, same as before." Dean said. "Sorry, man."

Sam nodded pensively, taking a small breath. "Well, Ellen did have one thing."

"What?"

"A hotel in Cornwall, Connecticut. Two freak accidents in the past three weeks."

"And what does that have to do with Ava?" I asked, taking a small sip of the hot coffee in my hands.

"It's a job." Sam shrugged. "I mean, a lady drowned in the bathtub, then a few days ago a guy falls down the stairs, head turns a complete one-eighty. Which isn't exactly normal, you know? Look, I don't know, guys, it might be nothing. But I told Ellen we'd think about checking it out."

"You did?" Dean asked, sharing a quick stunned look with me.

"Yeah. You seem surprised."

"Well yeah, it's just, you know...not the, uh, patented Sam Winchester way, is it?"

"What way is that?" Sam asked, his tone challenging.

"I just figured after Ava there'd be, you know, more angst and droopy music and staring out the rainy windows, and-" Dean stopped, catching Sam's irritated look. "Yeah, I'll shut up now."

"Look, I'm the one who told her to go back home. Now her fiancé's dead and some demon has taken her off to God knows where. You know? But we've been looking for a while now, and we've got nothing. So I'm not giving up on her, but I'm not going to let other people die either. We've got to save as many people as we can."

"Wow. That attitude is just way too healthy for me, and I'm officially uncomfortable now. Thank you." Dean muttered, a playful look of disgust on his face. Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, call Ellen. Tell her we'll take it."

* * *

 **PIERPONT INN – DAY  
**

I had to admit, even though I wanted to find Ava, it was nice to stop thinking about her...and demons and the possible connection of it all for just a little bit. Even if that meant coming to a place like this, which from the outside - accompanied with the light, misty rain - didn't look all too welcoming.

The large Victorian building sat on a small hill on the end of a long road. I personally loved the look of it. The feel, not so much. There was an eerie air lingering around the building and I couldn't imagine a lot of people heading out here now, but I'm sure at one point this place was pretty packed.

"Dude, this is sweet. I never get to work jobs like this." Dean said, staring up at the building as we got out of the Impala.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Old school haunted houses, you know? Fog and secret passageways...sissy British accents. Might even run into _Fred_ and _Daphne_ while we're inside." Dean smiled, nudging my arm with his elbow.

Sam turned back around, looking Dean and I over for a moment before chuckling. "Think I already found them."

"Screw you, _Velma_." Dean mumbled, pushing ahead of Sam to walk up the steps. Sam's brow furrowed as he stared at Dean with a sour look on his face, shooting the same look at me when I giggled.

"Oh, come on. You'd look cute in glasses." I muttered, making my way up the steps that were lined with vases and pots of different shapes and sizes.

"Hey, wait a sec." Sam called, inspecting an urn there, picking it up and turning it over. "I'm not so sure _haunted's_ the problem."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, turning back.

"You see this pattern here?" Sam asked, pointing to a five-point symbol engraved in the bottom. "That's a quincunx, a five-spot."

"Five-spot."

"Yeah."

"That's used for hoodoo spellwork, isn't it?" I asked, an uncomfortable felling settling in my stomach at the thought.

"Right, yeah." Sam nodded. "You fill this thing with bloodweed and you've got a powerful charm to ward off enemies."

"Yeah, except I don't see any bloodweed." Dean said, looking around. "Don't you think this place is a little too, uh, whitemeat for hoodoo?"

"Maybe." Sam shrugged, placing the vase back down. I waited outside for a moment as the boys went inside, a small gust of wind picking up around me.

The feeling I got was strange and uncomfortable, but I decided to try ignore it, moving inside the large dark colored lobby. Dean was already speaking to a dark-haired woman behind the desk, Sam standing next to him.

"Hi, yeah, I'd like a room for a couple of nights." Dean said. I stayed back, taking my time looking around the old room when a little girl darted in front of me, giggling as she ran.

"Hey!" The woman called to the little girl, glancing over at me, seemingly just noticing that I was there. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." I smiled, waving it off as I looked at a few old trinkets lining the shelves on a wall.

"Well, um, congratulations, you could be some of our final guests." The woman muttered, looking between the three of us.

"Well, that sounds vaguely ominous." Dean commented.

"No, I'm sorry, I mean we're closing at the end of the month." She muttered, looking Sam and Dean over for a moment. "Well, let me guess...you guys are here antiquing?"

Dean shared a quick look with his brother, turning back to the woman. "How'd you know?"

"Oh, you just look the type." She muttered, smiling slightly. "So, uh, king-sized bed?"

My eye widened and I couldn't stop the laughter that quickly bubbled up inside of me from coming out no matter how hard I tried. The woman shot me a confused look as Sam and Dean both took a small step away from each other, neither one sure what to say as the silence grew more uncomfortable.

Well, uncomfortable for them...hilarious for me.

I made my way up behind them, a warm smile on my face. "How sweet. You two make such a cute couple."

Dean narrowed his eyes, shooting me the most annoyed look I'd ever seen before turning back to the woman, his voice hard.

"Two singles." He said, gesturing between him and myself. "We're together."

"And we're brothers." Sam muttered to the woman, glancing over at me with a shake of his head.

"Oh." The woman said, her cheeks blushing a slight tinge of red in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"That's alri-"

"What did you mean that we look the type?" Dean blurted out, staring the woman down as she scrambled for something to say.

"Speaking of antiques, you have a really interesting urn on the front porch. Where did you get it?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, I have no idea, it's been there forever." She said, handing Dean a key. "Here you go, Mr. Mahagov."

"Thanks." Dean grumbled, practically ripping the key from her hand.

"Woo, leave the fingers, sweetie." I smiled, shooting him a hard look, staring to push him away from the desk.

"You'll be staying in room two-thirty-seven." She smiled, ignoring Dean's attitude.

"Thank you...again." I smiled.

"Sherwin, could you show them to their rooms?" She asked just as an old, balding man in a black blazer shuffled up behind us.

"Let me guess, antiquers?"

Dean opened his mouth to snap at the guy, but before he could, the man took his bag, dragging it up the stairs behind him.

"I could give you a hand with that bag." Dean suggested, cringing every time the bag hit a stair.

"I got it." Sherwin mumbled.

"...okay."

"So the hotel's closing up, huh?" Sam asked, making small talk as we made our way up the long staircase.

"Yup." Sherwin nodded. "Miss Susan tried to make a go of it, but the guests just don't come like they used to. Still, it's a damn shame."

"Oh yeah?"

"It may not look it anymore, but this place was a palace. Two different vice-presidents laid their heads on our pillows. My parents worked here, I practically grew up here. Gonna miss it." He muttered, turning to us as we stopped in front of a door. "Here's your room."

Sherwin pushed the key into the lock, opening the door before handing the key to Sam as he entered the room. I followed in after him taking the bag from Sherwin as I did so. Dean came behind me, turning to close the door behind us, but Sherwin blocked the door, holding his hand out expectantly.

"You're not gonna cheap out on me, are you, boy?" He asked. Dean stared at the man, an eyebrow raised. I nudged him in the back, nodding for him to pay the guy so he'd go away. Dean huffed, pulling his wallet out with an annoyed look, handing Sherwin some cash before forcefully shutting the door.

In the time all of that took place, Sam had already started sifting through a bunch of papers he'd laid out on the table in the room. I took in the dark wood room, throwing the duffel bag I held onto one of the beds before making my way over to an antique wedding dress hanging on the wall.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, walking up behind me.

"What?"

"That's normal." Dean mumbled, gesturing to the wedding dress. "Why the hell would anyone stay here? I'm amazed they kept in business this long."

"I don't know...I kind of like the place." I smiled, turning to find a disbelieving look on Dean's face, one of his eyebrows raised. "What?"

"...you're weird."

"You're weirder."

"Hey, guys." Sam called, picking up one of the papers. "Come on, we gotta start."

"Aright, what?" I asked, sitting in the chair across from him.

"Victim number one, Joan Edison. Forty three years old, a realtor handling the sale of the hotel. And victim number two was Larry Williams, moving some stuff out to Goodwill."

"Well, there's a connection. They're both involved in shutting this place down." I pointed out.

"Maybe somebody here doesn't want to leave, and they're using hoodoo to fight back."

"Who do you think our witch doctor is, that Susan lady?" Dean asked.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "She's the one selling."

"So what then, Sherwin?"

"I don't know."

Dean nodded slowly, his eyes clearly showing his was thinking of something else. Only a beat of silence passed before he blurted out what was really on his mind. "Of course, the most troubling question is why do these people assume we're gay?"

"Well, you are kinda butch." Sam said, glancing up at Dean. "They probably think you're overcompensating."

"You're just gonna let him talk to me like that?" Dean asked me.

"No, of course not." I replied, lightly slapping Sam on the shoulder, wagging my finger at him. "Bad Sam. Bad." Sam laughed as I got up, placing a hand on Dean's chest as I stood in front of him. "Don't you listen to him. You are not butch...you are a _beautiful_ man."

"What?" Dean asked, furrowing his brow. "I was looking for something more along the lines of _ruggedly handsome_."

"Oh, sure, yeah...that too." I muttered quickly, smiling innocently at him.

"Alright, get away from me." Dean grumbled playfully, walking towards the door.

"Aw, don't be like that Doll-face." I called in a cutesy voice. Sam let out a loud laugh as Dean rolled his eyes, leaving the room in a huff. I laughed lightly, knowing he wasn't really upset as I headed out after him with Sam behind me.

* * *

 **HALLWAY – DAY**

Making our way through the hallways, I spotted another urn, picking it up to find a quincunx inscribed on the bottom.

"Guys, look." I called, showing them. "More hoodoo."

"And still no idea who's doing it." Dean complained.

We moved on from that, heading down the hallway a little more, finding a door marked private. Dean glanced over at me, shrugging as he knocked on the door. A few seconds passed before Susan opened the door, her eyes widening slightly.

"Oh, hi. Is everything okay with your room?"

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah, everything's great. Yeah." Both Sam and Dean mumbled over each other.

"Everything's fine, thanks." I interrupted their babbling, smiling at her.

Susan glanced behind her, then back to us. "Well, I was- I was just in the middle of packing."

"Hey, are those antique dolls?" Dean asked, gesturing to the large shelf filled with old dolls.

I peered around her, my eyes widening as I looked over the collection. There was shelves upon shelves lines with porcelain dolls, it was almost as if they had taken over the whole room. I had to admit, they made me uncomfortable, but I didn't look anywhere near as creeped out as Sam.

Still, Dean immediately noticed my discomfort and Sam's fear, a smirk sneaking onto his lips as he formulated a plan of revenge for earlier.

Dean nodded towards Sam and I, continuing. "Because these two, they collect dolls together. Got a major collection back home."

So not only was he about to torture Sam, he was throwing me in there, too. What a guy.

"Well-" I started.

"Don'tcha?" Dean pestered, raising his eyebrows. "Huh?"

"I wouldn't say that." I muttered.

"Don't be modest. That's your bonding time." Dean smirked, winking at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head as Sam stayed quiet beside me.

"He's uh, we do." I mumbled, not able to keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice as I turned back to Susan, trying to keep my composure. "Big time."

" _Big time_." Dean smiled. "You think they could- or _we_ could come in and take a look?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Susan trailed off.

"You see, Dean...she's busy." I said, glancing up at Sam for a moment to see that he was turning a little white. "Let's just-"

"Please? I mean, they love them." Dean pleaded, a small smile on his face. "They're always dressing them up in these little tiny outfits...and, well, you'd make their day."

"Oh, no-"

"Oh, yes she would." Dean smiled at Sam and I, glancing down at me as he nudged my shoulder with his. "Huh?"

"No-"

"Huh?"

"Sure!" I exclaimed through gritted teeth, agreeing just to get him to shut up.

"Okay. Come on in." Susan muttered, letting us into the room.

"Alright!" Dean said excitedly, slapping me on the ass when Susan turned. I spun around quickly, punching him hard in the arm, shooting daggers at him as he cringed, rubbing the spot I'd hit. I turned back around just as Susan looked towards us, giving her a small smile as I took in the large amount of dolls in the room.

The more I looked, the more dolls my eyes found and it felt as if the room was starting to shrink around us.

"Wow. This is...a lot of dolls. I mean, they're nice, you know. Not super creepy at all." Dean mumbled the last part, glancing over at me.

"Yeah, I suppose they are a little creepy. But they've been in the family forever. A lot of sentimental value." Susan told us.

After peeling my eyes off a few beady eyed dolls in the corner of the room, I noticed an elaborate dollhouse sitting by the far wall of the room. As I got closer, I noticed that it looked an awful lot like this building.

"Is this the hotel?" I asked, pointing to it.

"Yeah, that's right. Exact replica, custom built."

I moved a bit closer to it, seeing one of the dolls with their head twisted around lying at the bottom of the small staircase. I bent down, picking up the small doll, glancing back at Susan. "This one's head is twisted. What happened to it?"

"Tyler, probably." Susan shrugged. Just then, a small girl, who must have been Tyler, ran in, going over to Susan's side.

"Mommy! Maggie's being mean."

"Tyler, tell her I said to be nice, okay?" She said, patting the top of her daughters head. "These are a few of our guests."

"Hi." Tyler muttered, her voice small as she waved. Sam and Dean waved back, small smiles on their faces.

"Hi Tyler. I'm Tori" I introduced myself, holding up the little doll. "I see you broke your doll. Maybe we could try and fix it?"

"I didn't break it. I found it like that."

"Well, maybe Maggie did it."

"No, neither of us did it. Grandma would get mad if we broke them."

"Tyler, she wouldn't get mad." Susan said.

"Grandma?" Dean inquired.

"Grandma Rose." Tyler replied. "These were all her toys."

"Oh. Really. Where's Grandma Rose now?"

"Up in her room."

"You know, I'd- I'd uh-" Sam paused, clearly in pain to say the words out loud. "I'd really love to talk to Rose about her incredible doll-"

"No." Susan replied quickly, shaking her head slightly when she realized how harsh that sounded. "I mean, I'm afraid that's impossible. My mother's been very sick and she's not taking any visitors."

"Okay then." Sam nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright."

"Why don't we leave so Susan can finish packing?" I asked. Sam was all too eager to get out, flying out of the room first as I gently pushed Dean towards the door, glancing back at Susan. "Thanks, again."

"Sure." She smiled, closing the door after us.

"So, what do you think?" Dean asked. "Dolls, hoodoo, mysterious shut-in grandma?"

"We really are in _Scooby-Doo_." I mumbled, glancing over at him.

"Tell me about it."

"Dolls are used in all kinds of voodoo and hoodoo." Sam said. "Like curses, and binding spells..."

"Yeah, maybe we've found our witch doctor." Dean muttered. "Alright, Tori and I will see what we can go dig up on boomin' Granny. You go get online, check old obits, freak accidents, that sort of thing, see if she's whacked anybody before."

"Right."

"Don't go surfing porn, that's not the kind of whacking I mean." Dean smirked as Sam rolled his eyes, turning back to the room. I shook my head, chuckling lightly as I tugged Dean's sleeve, getting him to follow me down the stairs.

* * *

After an unsuccessful search, Dean and I made our way back to the hotel, figuring we could maybe find something else there.

"This is all just weird." I muttered.

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "But something's going on."

"Obviously." I sighed, looking over at him. "Do you think Sam's okay?"

"Sam? Yeah." Dean nodded, clearly believing the exact opposite of what he'd said.

"Dean, I know when you're lying."

"I'm not lying." Dean mumbled, glancing over at me to see that I wasn't buying it for a second. "Something's bugging him, he's just not saying what it is."

"I thought so, too."

"Plus that whole thing with that girl, that really messed with his head." Dean said, pulling the Impala back into the lot of the hotel just as a body was being wheeled out on a stretcher.

"What the hell?" I asked, noticing Susan standing at the entrance to the hotel, watching as well, a hand covering her mouth.

"Let's go find out." Dean said, stepping out of the car. I exited the Impala along with him, the two of us making our way over to a severely troubled looking Susan. "What happened?"

"The maid went in to turn down the sheets and he was just...hanging there."

"That's awful." I muttered. "Was he a guest?"

"He worked for the company that bought the place." She told us.

"Did he?" I murmured, sharing a glance with Dean.

"I don't understand." Susan mumbled, rubbing her temple.

"What?"

"We've had a lot of bad luck around here." She sighed. "Look, if you'd like to check out I'll give you a full refund."

"No thanks." Dean said. "We don't scare that easy."

"Okay." Susan nodded. "But if you ever want to leave, please let me know. I'll understand."

"Sure." I said, shooting her a small smile as Dean and I passed her, making our way inside up to the room. "Another one."

"This just keeps getting more and more interesting." Dean said, fishing the room key out of his pocket, unlocking the door.

"Or complicated." I added as Dean made his way inside the room.

"There's been another one." He told Sam. "Some guy just hung himself in his room."

"Yeah. I saw." Sam mumbled, his tone dark as he stared out the window from his spot on a chair in the middle of the room.

"We've gotta figure this out, and fast." Dean said, looking through a few papers on the table, handing me a stack as he sifted through folders, glancing back at Sam. "What'd you find out about Granny?"

"You're the boss."

Dean furrowed his brow, his mouth popping open in surprise as he whipped around to face Sam "What?"

"You're bossy. And short." Sam slurred and snorted. I quickly put the papers down, making my way over to Sam, taking in the multiple empty bottles lying around the room as I went.

"Sam, are you drunk?" I asked, noticing the near empty bottle still in his hand.

"Duh." He mumbled, looking up at me with glazed over eyes. "Stupid."

"Excuse you." I scolded, trying to pry the bottle out of his hand as he fought me.

"Stop." He whined.

"Sam, give it."

" _Give it._ " He mimicked in a high-pitched voice. I rolled my eyes, giving up trying to take the bottle from him as he clutched it to his chest.

"Dude, what are you thinking? We're working a case." Dean said, coming over to Sam's other side.

Immediately, Sam's whole demeanor changed as tears sprung to his eyes. "That guy who hung himself. I couldn't save him."

"What are you talking about? You didn't know, you couldn't have done anything."

"That's an excuse, Dean. I should have found a way to save him." Sam said, his voice growing quiet. "I should have saved Ava too."

"We don't even know what happened to Ava, Sam. But you- you can't save everyone." I said sadly, wishing myself that it weren't true.

"Even you said that." Dean added.

"It sucks, but it's just something you have to accept."

"No!" Sam exclaimed, slamming a fist down on the table. "You don't understand, alright? The more people I save, the more I can change!"

"Change what?" Dean asked.

"My destiny." Sam said sadly. I exchanged a worried look with Dean, the both of us silently agreeing on the fact that we needed to get Sam to sober up before something...bad happened.

"Okay, Sam. Okay." I murmured comfortingly, finally able to pry the beer bottle out of his hand, placing it on the windowsill. Dean and I gently pulled him up to his feet, leading him to the bed.

"Come on, Sasquatch." Dean muttered. "Come on."

"I need you guys to watch out for me." Sam slurred.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "We always do."

"No! No, no, no. You have to _watch out_ for me, alright?" Sam said as we got him to the bed, the backs of his legs hitting the edge. His eyes darted back and forth between mine and Dean's as he stared deeply. "And if I ever turn into something that I'm not...you have to kill me."

My mouth fell open in shock, the air slipping out of my lungs in one quick breath as my grip on his arm loosened. Dean looked away from his brother, shaking his head.

"Sam-"

"Dad told you to do it, you have to!" Sam said, grabbing Dean's shirt, making him look back.

"Yeah, well, Dad's an ass. He never should have said anything…to _any_ of us. About _anything_." Dean said, glancing over at me a moment before retuning his eyes to Sam. "I mean, you don't do that, you don't- you don't lay that kind of crap on your kids."

"No. He was right to say it! Who knows what I might become? What might happen? Even now, everyone around me dies!" Sam exclaimed, getting himself even more worked up.

"Yeah, well, Tori and I aren't dying, okay? And neither are you."

"Sam you have to calm down, okay?" I said, finally speaking as I forced my voice to come out in a somewhat calming tone. Which was the complete opposite of how I was feeling right now.

I gently pushed Sam down onto the bed, but before Dean or I could take a step back, Sam reached up, grabbing Dean's jacket in one hand and my arm with the other.

"No, please!" He exclaimed erratically. "You're the only ones who can do it. Promise."

"Sam, don't ask us to do that." I said, feeling irritation build up inside of me. He was asking too much, just like John had.

"You have to promise me!" Sam exclaimed. Dean was speechless next to me, his eyes trained on the foot of the bed.

"No, Sam!" I shouted, shaking my arm out of his grip as tears welled up in my eyes.

"Tori." Dean murmured, silently telling me to relax. I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I tried to calm myself. This wasn't really Sam talking. It couldn't be…he wouldn't give up that easily.

"..we promise." Dean said in a quiet voice. My eyes widened as I whipped my head up to face him, seeing that he was keeping his eyes trained on Sam.

What he'd said completely caught me off guard and I almost thought I'd heard him wrong.

"Thanks." Sam muttered, patting Dean's face with both of his hands. "Thank you. You are-"

"Alright, come on." Dean huffed, batting Sam's hands away, shoving him back on the bed. Sam turned over onto his stomach, hugging the pillow tightly to him. Dean turned away then, walking a few steps away to sit at the table.

"Dean, what the hell?" I spat, keeping my voice low so I didn't wake Sam up as he started snoring away.

"What?" Dean asked, glancing up at me.

"You promised your brother we'd..." I stopped, shaking my head. "Why would you do that?"

"It was the only way to get him to stop. Plus I was afraid you start a fight with him, and it's not fair to take advantage of someone when their drunk." Dean said, attempting a joke to cover up his sadness. "Unless it's me."

"Dean." I said, standing next to the table.

"He won't even remember this." Dean muttered, looking up at me with sad eyes.

"I hope not."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

After I'd checked on Sam for the thousandth time, Dean finally reassured me that he was fine – all he had to do was sleep it off. I wasn't stupid I knew how being drunk worked...but I was worried. And I wasn't buying the fact that Sam wouldn't remember, either.

As we made our way down to the hotel's bar, I tried to brush off the nauseous feeling that had built up inside of me. Though I just couldn't seem to get rid of any horrible feeling lately, no matter what it was about.

But this one seemed to be so much different.

Dean just promised Sam that we would kill him if he turned into...whatever the hell he was supposed to turn into. I couldn't even process that thought. Deep down I knew it was just to get Sam to stop, Dean would never in a million years hurt his brother. But to hear that promise being made out loud...it just didn't feel okay.

And as much as he tried to play it off, I know it didn't feel okay with Dean either.

Dean kept his distance from me, knowing I was upset with what just occurred up in that room. We made our way over to the bar, seeing Sherwin behind it, cleaning the surface.

"Find any good antiques?" He asked dryly and Dean and I sat down.

Dean shot him a confused look for a moment before remembering our cover. "Um, no! No, I got...distracted."

"Have a drink."

"Yeah, thanks." Dean muttered, watching Sherwin pour a glass of whiskey. He pushed the glass towards Dean, moving to take another one for me. Usually, I wouldn't say no, but after seeing Sam the way he just was, I quickly shook my head.

"No, thanks. I'm good."

"Alright, then." Sherwin said, slowing placing the glass back down.

"So, poor guy, huh? Killing himself?" Dean said, making some kind of conversation. Even though things were going on with the three of us personally, we still had a job to do here. That was something we couldn't forget.

"That kind of thing seems to be going around lately."

"Yeah. I heard about the other ones. It's almost like this hotel is cursed or something." I said, letting out a fake chuckle.

"Every hotel has its spilled blood. If people only knew what's gone on in some of those rooms they've checked into."

I grimaced, nodding. "You seem to know quite a lot about this place."

"Down to the last nail."

"We'd love to hear some stories." Dean interjected.

"Boy, you should never say that to an old man."

"Oh?"

Sherwin stared at us for a moment before placing the glass in his hand down, motioning for us to go with him. Dean and I shared a look, hopping off the stools to follow Sherwin as he led us back to the entrance and up the staircase, pointing to a few framed pictures on the walls along the way.

"This is little Miss Susan, and her mother Rose. Happier days." Sherwin muttered, a far off look in his eyes.

"They're not happy now?" Dean asked.

"Well, would you be, leaving the only home you ever knew?" He asked. I nodded, remembering how I felt at fourteen..knowing I'd never be able to return to the only place I could ever call home.

"I don't know. I never really knew one." Dean shrugged. I felt a pang of sadness in my chest, hearing him say that. Here I was remembering an emotion that would be so _normal_ , so natural, for some people and Dean had never even had that experience.

Sometimes, I guess it was easy to forget the way our lives were, the way we lived. We were each other's home.

"Well, this is Rose's home." Sherwin said. "It's been in the family over a century. Used to be the family estate. And now she gets to live in some senior living graveyard, and they tear this place down."

"Yeah, that's too bad."

"I hear Rose isn't feeling well." I mentioned.

"No, she isn't." Sherwin turned leading us back down the staircase, a small sigh leaving his lips as we went.

"What's wrong with her?" Dean asked.

"It's not my business to say."

On our way down, I saw another photo hanging on the wall of two small, dark-hared girls standing next to each other. And the next one, of one of the young girls sitting on the lap of a woman. I looked in closer, noticing that the woman wore a quincunx necklace. I subtly nudged Dean, pointing up to it.

"Who's this?" I asked, looking back at Sherwin.

Sherwin looked up at the yellowing photograph with a sigh. "That's Rose, when she was a little girl."

"Who's that with her?"

"That's her nanny, Marie. She looked after Rose more than her own mother." Sherwin said, looking around. "Well, I better get back to work – finish packing somethings up."

"Thanks for showing us around." Dean said, to which, Sherwin just nodded, leaving.

* * *

By the time Dean and I had gotten back to the hotel room, it was almost morning. Dean said he'd go get some coffee instead of getting a couple hours sleep, leaving me with a probably severely hungover, but still asleep Sam. I watched Dean leave, waiting for the door to shut before making my way over to Sam, who was still hugging that pillow tightly.

I smiled down at him, brushing his messy bangs off of his forehead. He looked so young, so innocent. I just couldn't make myself believe that his _fate_ was anything close to what was said. There was no way Sam could...be evil.

The small smile on my face turned to a frown as tears started streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks.

I couldn't even imagine having to...I mean when it came right down to it, Dean and I, we just couldn't do... _that_.

I wouldn't let it happen. Not in a million years.

Not wanting to disturb Sam with my crying, I made my way over to the other bed, leaning against the headboard, staring at the far wall across from me, my eyes starting to drift shut as they blurred from the tears.

* * *

Just as my eyes opened to a dark motel room, my stomach lurched and I felt like I was about to be sick. I quickly spun around in the gray toned motel room, feeling my head spin as I did so. I ran for the door, my heart pumping like it was about to beat out of my chest, a sickening feeling inside me telling me to be scared.

My hand grabbed for the doorknob, only to find that the door was locked. I immediately started banging on the door, screaming at the top of my lungs as I felt fear start to choke me.

Suddenly, I felt hands grab my arms, pulling me harshly from the door, throwing me to the ground. My breathing picked up, but stopped almost instantly as I looked up, seeing Sam standing there, an evil grin on his face – his eyes bright yellow.

I was in shock. I couldn't breath, I couldn't scream, I couldn't move. I was frozen in place, staring up at him.

Sam reached down, his fingers wrapping around my throat as he picked me up into the air in one swift motion. He stared at me, his grip tightening as I struggled, clawing at his arm.

Just then Dean rushed into the room, causing Sam to turn his head towards him. I saw Dean's eyes go wide at what he saw in front of him and before I knew it, Dean held up a gun, a tear dropping from his eye as he put his finger on the trigger.

Even though Sam was still choking me, I somehow became able to speak, but just as I screamed no, the gun went off, and I hit the ground – along with Sam.

Only one of us was still breathing.

"You can't save him." A booming, disembodied voice spoke loudly, ringing in my ears as I watched the blood pool in front of me.

* * *

I bolted upright, my breathing coming hard and fast as I looked around, jumping back slightly when my eyes finally landed on Sam kneeling next to the bed, a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"Ye- yeah." I muttered, rubbing my forehead. "Why?"

"You were- you were...screaming."

"I was?" I asked, my eyes widening as I remembered every single part that God forsaken nightmare I'd just had.

Without realizing it, I leaned in closer to Sam, barely registering the confusion on his face as I stared into his eyes. It was almost as if I was waiting for them to turn.

Suddenly, Sam's hand flew to his mouth and he ran to the bathroom. I watched after him in confusion for a moment, grimacing when I heard him throwing up violently. Dean came into the room then, moving to place the coffee on the table, pausing when he heard Sam getting sick.

"How you feeling, Sammy?" Dean asked loudly, a small smirk on his face. "I guess mixing whiskey and Jäger wasn't such a gangbuster idea, was it? I'll bet you don't remember a thing from last night, do you?"

Dean glanced over at me, his eyes hopeful as we waited with baited breath for Sam's response.

"Oh, I can still taste the tequila." He groaned.

"You know, there's a really good hangover remedy – it's a greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray."

"I hate you." Sam grumbled before getting sick again.

"I know you do." Dean smirked, handing me my coffee when I walked over to his side. I stared down at the cup with a grimace. Between feeling sick from that nightmare and what was going on with Sam in the background, coffee didn't seem to appealing to me right now.

"You okay?" Dean asked, watching me place the cup down on the table.

"Sure." I mumbled.

" _Sure_?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, yeah." I said, glancing up at him for a moment. I didn't really want him to see my eyes, knowing he'd immediately sense my discomfort.

"Tori."

"What?" I asked, still looking at the coffee sitting on the table.

"What's wrong?" He asked, gently picking my chin up with his fingers. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I had another nightmare."

"Okay."

"But Dean, this one – it was bad."

"How bad?"

"Really bad. Really, really bad."

"Well, what happened?"

"I don't even know how to start-"

The toilet flushed just then and I looked over to the bathroom door to see Sam exit, taking a slow breath. "Hey, did you guys ever find out anything else?"

Dean shot me a look telling me that I wasn't off the hook. I still had to tell him what happened. I nodded, sitting in one of the chairs as Dean filled Sam in.

"Turns out when Grandma Rose was a tyke, she had a Creole nanny who wore a hoodoo necklace."

"So you think she taught Rose hoodoo?" Sam asked, looking between Dean and I.

"Yeah."

"Alright. I think it's time we talked to Rose, then."

"Oh." Dean grimaced. "You can brush your teeth first."

"Right." Sam nodded, heading back into the bathroom.

* * *

 **HALLWAY – DAY**

The three of us made our way back to Susan's _creepy doll room,_ the door still clearly marked _private._

"I don't know about this guys." I muttered, folding my arms as we stood in front of the door.

"What about it?" Dean asked, looking over at me.

"I mean...they clearly don't want anyone in here. Rose is sick."

"And when have you ever listened _Do Not Enter_ signs?" Dean asked, a lusty look coming into his eyes. "Remember that one hunt we were on in Ohio? That old hospital? Remember? We had all kinds of fun in there."

I felt a small grin spread across my lips as Dean smirked at me, winking. A look of disgust crossed Sam's face as he shook his head, gesturing to the door. "We'll you're not doing that in there, so-"

"Ew." I mumbled.

"Way to ruin a good moment, Sam." Dean muttered. Sam rolled his eyes, knocking lightly on the door.

"Hello? Susan?" He turned around, looking back at Dean for a moment. "Clear?"

"Yeah." Dean told him. Sam kneels down quickly picking the lock on the door, before turning the knob and pushing it open.

We made our way through the doll room to a door in the back. It was open slightly, practically asking us to go in – so naturally we did. We crept up the creaky stairs, walking down another long hallway to another ajar door. I peeked inside the room, seeing an old woman sitting in a wheelchair facing a rain covered window, trembling slightly.

"Mrs. Thompson? Mrs. Thompson?" Sam called to the woman, approaching cautiously. "Rose? Hi, Mrs. Thompson, we're not here to hurt you, it's okay-"

"Rose?" I asked, watching her. She started trembling violently, not answering him as she stared blankly at the window.

Sam looked back at Dean and I speaking quietly. "This woman's had a stroke."

"Hoodoo's hands-on, I mean, you've got to mix herbs, and chant, and build an altar." Dean said.

"So it can't be her." I said, looking between them. "Wishful thinking here, but maybe it's not even hoodoo."

"Or she could be faking."

"Yeah, what are you gonna do, poke her with a stick?" Sam asked. Dean frowned, nodding like he actually considered that a possibility.

"Dean, you're not gonna poke her with a stick!" I exclaimed quietly, smacking his arm lightly.

"What the hell?!" Susan shouted, catching us off guard with her presence. "What are you doing in here?"

"Oh, we just wanted to-"

"Well, the door was open-"

Both Sam and Dean spoke at the same time, their voices overlapping each other.

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have come in here." I apologized.

"You damn right. Look at her, she is scared out of her wits." Susan said, rushing over to her mother's side. "I want you out of my hotel in two minutes or I'm calling the cops."

"Of course." I nodded, the three of us leaving quickly.

* * *

 **HOTEL ROOM – DAY**

After rushing back down into the room, we quickly grabbed our things, hurriedly shoving them into bags - trying to get out of here as fast as possible.

"Somethings obviously going on here." Dean muttered.

"We're not actually gonna leave, are we?" I asked, throwing a bag over my shoulder as we headed towards the door.

"Hell no." Dean said, leaving the room.

"See? Bossy." Sam mumbled, glancing over at me with a small smirk until he saw the shocked look on my face, his eyes going wide once he realized what he'd just said.

He lied. He did remember.

"Sam..." I started, reaching for his arm as he hurriedly walked to the open door.

"We have to go, she's gonna call the cops."

"But-"

"Come on." He muttered, shrugging out of my grip as he left. I took a deep breath, shutting the door behind me as I followed them.

* * *

We parked the Impala a few blocks down from the hotel, walking back to stay out in front just in case anything happened. I knew I was supposed to be concentrating on what was going on here, but I couldn't get the fact that Sam did remember everything out of my mind.

What did that mean? Was it really the alcohol talking...or was that something he really meant?

My train of thought was broken by the swing-sets loud creaking as it started to swing back and forth on it's own. I watched Susan approach the playground, seeing all the sets moving on their own.

Everything started going faster as the wind picked up, and the red car behind her started all of the sudden, with no one in it.

The engine revved as Susan stood there, shocked. Suddenly the car lurched forward and before it could hit her, Sam ran out, tackling her out of the way just in time.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked Susan, helping her back up as Dean and I made our way over.

"I think so." She muttered as Dean gently, but hurriedly, pushed her into the hotel for safety.

"Come on, come on. Let's get inside, let's go."

* * *

 **BAR – DAY**

"Whiskey." Susan uttered, plopping down on one of the stools.

"Sure." Sam nodded, heading behind the bar. "I know the feeling."

"What the hell happened out there?"

"You want the truth?" Dean asked.

"Of course."

"That's what you say now." I muttered, gaining a worried and confused look from Susan.

"Well, at first we thought it was some sort of hoodoo curse, but that out there? That was definitely a spirit." Dean told her.

"You're insane." Susan said in disbelief, nursing the glass of whiskey Sam had given her.

"It's been said." I murmured, shooting a small smile at Dean, who rolled his eyes, a tiny smirk on his lips.

"I'm sorry, Susan. We don't exactly have time to ease you into this, but we need to know when your mother had the stroke." Sam said.

"What does that have to do with any-"

"Just answer the question."

"About a month ago." She answered.

"Right before the killings began." I said.

"So what if Rose was working hoodoo, but not to hurt anyone." Sam said, looking to Dean and I. "To protect them."

"She was using the five spot urns to ward off the spirit." I added.

"Right, until she had a stroke and she couldn't anymore." Sam said.

"I don't believe this." Susan mumbled.

"Listen, sister, that car didn't try to run you down by itself, okay?" Dean said, getting a little irritated with her constant disbelief. "I mean, I guess it did, technically, but, but the spirit can-"

"Okay, okay. Don't bust a blood vessel." I muttered quietly, patting him on the shoulder as I looked to Susan. "Believe whatever you want. But the one and only fact is that you and your family are in danger. You need to get everyone out. Your employees, your mother, you daughters. All of them."

"I only have one daughter." Susan said.

"One?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "I thought Tyler had a sister named Maggie."

"Maggie's imaginary." Susan explained. Well, that's never good.

"Aw...shit." Dean huffed, pushing himself off the stool quickly as Sam rushed back around the bar.

"Wh- what's going on?" Susan asked, watching the way Sam and Dean reacted.

"Where's Tyler?" I asked hurriedly.

"Probably up in the play room." She said. All I heard were Sam and Dean's footsteps as they started up the stairs.

"We have to hurry." I said, gently pulling Susan off the chair so we could catch up to the boys. Once in front of the door, Susan quickly unlocked the door pushing her way inside the room.

"Tyler!" Susan called, her voice becoming distressed when she saw the broken remains of the porcelain dolls that had be thrown off the shelves. "She quickly ran into the other room, calling her daughters name as she ran. "Oh my god, Tyler! She's not here!

"Susan. Tell us what you know about Maggie." Sam said, trying to calm her down.

"Uh, not much. Um, Tyler's been talking about her since Mom got sick."

"Well, did you ever know anyone by that name?" I asked.

"Uh, no..."

"Think, think-" Dean rushed. "-I mean, somebody that could have lived here, might have passed away?"

"Oh my god. My mom." Susan muttered, realization coming into her eyes. "My mom had a sister named Margaret. She barely spoke about her."

"Did Margaret happen to die here when she was a kid?" Sam asked.

Susan nodded. "She drowned in the pool."

"Come on." Dean said, heading out of the room. A look of sheer panic ran across Susan's face, the fear clearly starting to take over as she worried about her daughter.

"She's gonna be okay." I reassured her, trying to keep my voice positive as we rushed down the stairs after the boys.

* * *

 **GARDEN'S – DAY**

We ran through the stone path in between the layers of bushes and trees to the very end of the garden where the pool house door sat. I tried opening it, but of course, it was locked. Sam, Dean and I started pounding on the glass lining the two sides of the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Getting frustrated, I stared kicking at the glass, trying with everything in me to break it – but nothing happened.

"Tyler!" Susan screamed.

"Mommy!" Tyler's small, scared voice sounded through the door, far away on the other side, stopping us all momentarily. I looked into one of the frosted windows, seeing Tyler's outline being led to the covered pool.

"Is there another way in?" I asked Susan.

"Around back." She muttered, her voice trembling.

"Okay, let's go." Dean said, looking looking between Sam and I. "Keep working."

"You're right." I muttered after they'd left. Sam glanced down at me with a questioning look. "He is bossy."

A small smile tugged on Sam's lips as he glanced over at me, his eyes suddenly focusing on something behind me. Without a word, he went over to a large plant, pulled it out and carried the heavy pot over to the door. He started pounding the door with the pot, but it still wouldn't break.

"I'm gonna try to find another way inside." I said, watching him nod. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He grunted, hitting the glass again. "Go."

I quickly ran back through the garden, making my way through a few lined plants and trees until I reached a few larger frosted windows. I peered through one of them, this time seeing a faint outline of Tyler being held under water.

"No!" I yelled, pounding on the window with my bare fists.

I frantically looked around, spotting an iron chair a few feet away. I quickly grabbed it, dragging it back through until I got to the window again. With all my strength, I picked up the heavy chair, hitting the window multiple times.

Somebody really didn't want us in there.

Just then, with one last hit, I broke the window. With a breath of relief, I made my way through the broken glass, finding Sam already there, jumping into the pool. I rushed over to the edge, watching as Sam dove under the pool cover, moving it around to try and find Tyler.

My heart was pounding against my chest when I saw Sam come back up, a seemingly lifeless Tyler in his arms. I heard a low bang as a set of doors on the other end of the room burst open, revealing Dean and Susan. I helped Sam out of the pool, Tyler still in his arms, as Susan came running over with Dean behind her.

Sam laid Tyler down gently on the ground, I took off my jacket, placing it beneath her head. The four of us watched in silence as Susan started to tear up, placing a hand on her daughter's cheek. Dean was watching me, a tense look in his eyes as they darted from my face to Tyler's.

A few tense moments passed us when Tyler finally started coughing and spitting up water. Sam, Dean and I breathed a sigh of relief as Tyler flew up into her mother's arms.

"Mommy!" She wailed, holding onto Susan as they both cried.

"Yeah, baby, I'm here." Susan murmured, clutching her daughter to her chest.

"Tyler, do you see Maggie anywhere?" Sam asked cautiously.

"No, she's gone." Tyler spoke softly, a revealed smiled on her little face as she went back to hugging her mother.

* * *

After everyone had calmed down a bit, Susan made her way to her mother's room, Tyler clinging to her leg the whole way. The poor little thing just wanted to leave and I can't say that I blame her.

"Don't worry, honey, we're leaving in two minutes, we've just got to get Grandma." Susan said, brushing back Tyler's hair as she stood next to her.

"I don't get it, did Maggie just stop?" Dean asked, the three of us waiting at the bottom of the steps, giving the family their space.

"Seems like it." Sam shrugged.

"Well, where the hell did she go?"

A blood curdling scream sounded from Rose's room and the three of us quickly rushed up the stairs to find Susan standing there, covering her mouth with one hand, and Tyler's eyes with the other, shielding them from the sight in front of us.

Rose sat slumped over in her wheelchair, lifeless.

* * *

 **OUTSIDE – DAY**

It felt like an eternity had passed since we got Susan and Tyler out of the room, I stayed with them, trying to comfort them as much as I could while Sam called an ambulance to the hotel.

Now we were all standing around as the paramedics brought Rose out in a body bag, wheeling her into the back of an ambulance.

"Paramedics said it was another stroke. Do you think...Margaret could have had something to do with it?" Susan asked.

"We don't know." Dean told her honestly.

"But it's possible, yeah." Sam added. "Susan, I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You've given me everything." Susan said, smiling over at her daughter as she bounded towards her. I placed a hand on Sam shoulder, smiling up at him. "Ready to go, kiddo?"

"Yeah." Tyler nodded.

"Tyler, you're absolutely sure Maggie's not around anymore?" I asked gently.

"I'm sure." Tyler nodded. "I'd see her."

"Okay."

"I guess whatever's going on must be over." Dean muttered.

"Yeah."

"You two take care of yourselves, alright?" Sam said, holding the taxi door open for Susan and Tyler. Before Susan got in the car, she quickly turned back around, giving Sam a tight hug.

"Thank you." She said, pulling away from Sam, looking back to Dean and I. "All of you."

"Of course." I smiled, waving as she sat in the backseat. Sam closed the door, walking back over to us.

"Think you could have hooked up some MILF action there, bud." Dean smirked. "I'm serious, I think she liked you."

"Yeah, that's all she needs."

"Well, you saved the mom, you saved the girl. Not a bad day. 'Course you know, I could have saved 'em all by myself, but I didn't want you two to feel useless."

"Oh yeah." I scoffed.

"I appreciate it." Sam muttered sarcastically.

"You know, I'm actually okay with admitting that I didn't do anything here. Unlike some people." I muttered, nodding over to Dean. "You did a good job, Shorty."

"Heh...thanks."

"Feels good getting back in the saddle, doesn't it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, it does. But it doesn't change what we talked about last night."

"We talked about a lot of things last night." Dean said, stopping in his tracks, causing Sam to turn and look at him. I lingered there in the middle, watching the boys, waiting to see what Sam had to say.

"You know what I mean." Sam said, glancing over at me. "I know you know."

"Know what?" Dean asked, looking back to Sam. "You were wasted."

"But you weren't. And you promised."

Dean stared at his brother, slack-jawed, as Sam made his way over to the Impala without another word. I watched Sam go, that feeling of dread creeping back up into my chest as I stood there, shocked.

I knew Sam had remembered everything, but I honestly thought he was going to tell us to fucking forget what he'd said. That it was a stupid thing because that would never, ever happen.

But he didn't.

 _You promised_. Was the only thing uttered. Nothing else.

Even though I knew with everything that I am – no matter what nightmares I had, no matter what anyone told me – I knew that Dean would never go through with it. But that promise meant something, to Sam, at least.

Maybe Dean had promised, and Sam could try to hold that over him forever.

But guess what? I never did.

* * *

 **Hey guys, long time no write! I really do want to apologize for the huge, huge, huge gap in between chapters - but, you know, life really sucks and it gets in the way sometimes.**

 **If you were curious, (which you're probably not, but I'll tell you anyway.) one of the main things that kept me from updating was the fact that I had to take care of my dog, who was getting older and needed to be cared for pretty much constantly. But also because...she had to be put to sleep about two months ago...** **I had her for fourteen years. She was literally my best friend and t** **hat was really, really hard.  
**

 **But I'm doing a bit better now and I just wanted to write this quick little apology and let you know that I'll (hopefully) be updating regularly again because I do miss writing a lot.**

 **Also, I've pretty much finished _Into The Nothing_ (except for a few chapters lol) and all I have to do is edit each chapter a bit before posting it! So, let's hope that I can get the rest of it up by the end of this month, if not before! Then we can start on season three and season four and season five and...ooh I'm so excited :D**

 **I don't know if there are any people who used to read this story reading now, but if you are, thanks for sticking around! And to all the new people, thanks for joining me on this awesome ride!**

 **Who else thinks the song Spellbound should have actually been in this episode? I think it's fits perfectly, but maybe I'm just biased ;)**

 **Can you tell I've missed you guys from the fact that this A/N is a bottomless pit?**

 **I'll stop now...**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed :)**

 **PS: Quick shameless plug. You can follow me on twitter phoenixfire779 and Instagram phoenixfirefanfiction  
**


	12. Nightshifter

_Oh mama, I'm in fear for my life  
From the long arm of the law  
Law man has put an end to my running  
And I'm so far from my home  
Oh mama, I can hear you crying  
You're so scared and all alone  
Hang man is coming down from the gallows  
And I don't have very long _

_The jig is up, the news is out  
The finally found me  
The renegade who had it made  
Retrieved for a bounty  
Nevermore to go astray  
This will be the end today  
Of the wanted man_

 _Oh mama, I've been years on the lamb  
And had a high price on my head  
Law man said, get him dead or alive  
Now, it's for sure he'll see me dead_

 _ **Styx – Renegade**_

* * *

After we left Connecticut, Sam hadn't brought up that promise and I hadn't mentioned the nightmare – though it had been replaying in my head constantly. Dean didn't ask either, probably just waiting for me to tell him on my own.

Which I was grateful for, because I don't think I'd even know how to put it into words.

Time just seemed to fly by in one big blur lately, if we weren't actively looking for more information on what happened to Ava, we were working jobs. At least it kept up busy.

Currently we were on a case in Wisconsin, standing inside of a jewelry store that had been robbed just a few days ago, followed by the robbers suicide that very night. The same thing happened to a bank around here as well. Robbery, then suicide.

It was all classified under _suspicious circumstances,_ so obviously we had to come check it out.

Sam and I were speaking to the manager of the jewelery store from behind the counter, and though I was carrying on a conversation with this man, I couldn't help but constantly glance over to Dean all the way on the other side of the store, listening in as he flirted with a pretty dark-haired woman who just happened to work here.

"Helena was our head buyer. She- she was family, you know? She said it herself, every year at the Christmas party. She said we were the only family she had." The manager muttered.

"So what's it like, being an FBI guy?" The dark-haired woman asked Dean, a flirty tone to her voice as she handed him a small stack of papers. I practically sneered at her, rolling my eyes.

"Well, it's dangerous. And the secrets we've gotta keep, oh. God, the secrets. But mostly it's- it's lonely." Dean sighed, shooting a quick wink my way.

I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head. "Oh, it's gonna get _real_ lonely tonight, buddy."

"I'm sorry?" The manager asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

Sam glared at me, subtly smacking me from behind the counter, clearing his throat. "So there were never any signs that she'd do something like this?"

"No. I still can't believe it, even now. That night, Helena came back to the store after closing. Cleaned out all the display cases, and the safe. Edgar — our night watchman — he caught her in the act. He didn't know what to do, he'd known her for years. He called me at home."

"And that's when she took his gun?" I asked, still trying to ignore the flirting going on only a few feet away from me. I'd be dammed if Dean didn't know how to get a rise out of me.

"She shot him in the face. I heard him die. Over the phone."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Any idea what her motive could have been?" Sam asked.

"What motive? It makes no sense. Why steal all those diamonds, all that jewelry, and then what? Just dump it somewhere, just hide it, and then go home and- and-"

"She killed herself." The woman said loudly from across the room, clearing having a slightly different and much less eloquent conversation with Dean. "Well, the cops said she dropped the hair dryer in the bath and fried herself. They should know, right?"

"Jesus." I muttered to myself, shaking my head.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Well, thanks, Frannie, I think that's all I need."

"Really? Because I've got more. You know, _information-_ " She muttered, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers as she looked around slyly. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go punch her right now. "So if you wanted to interview me sometime...in private?"

I barely even registered Sam still speaking to the manager as I narrowed my eyes at the woman, staring her down. Dean turned around, flinching back slightly at the acid in my glare. He quickly looked back to the woman, smiling lightly.

"I, uh- I think that's a great idea. You're a true patriot, you really are. So why don't you write your number down there for me, that'd be good."

"Alright." She smiled, slowly pulling a piece of paper over, like she was dragging out every last second she had alone with Dean.

"So you never saw the security camera footage yourself, then?" Sam asked the manager, nudging me again to pay attention.

"No. The police, they took all the tapes, first thing." The manager muttered. I huffed, realizing there was nothing more to this conversation. So I turned, making my way over to Dean and the woman, and just as she was handing him the piece of paper, I grabbed it.

"Excuse me." She said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Dean smirked. From underneath the counter, I balled up my fist, hitting him in the junk. He doubled over on the counter top, trying to play it cool as the woman stared down at him.

"Damn, charlie-horse." He strained, trying to play it off.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"He's fine." I said, patting him on the shoulder. "Walk it off."

"Yeah." Dean mumbled.

"Were you here on the night in question?" I asked the woman.

"Um, no." She muttered.

"Did you happen to see the security footage? Did you speak to Ms. Helena that day?"

"...no."

"Then we won't be needing this." I said, ripping up the small piece of paper with a smile. "Thank you for your time."

"But- but-"

"Thank you." I said, shooting her a big fake smile as I pushed Dean back over to Sam, who had stopped speaking with the manager and was now looking at me and Dean with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Can you guys ever keep it professional?" Sam asked as we made our way out of the jewelry store.

"I was! Until Mr. Raging Hormones over here showed up." I said, folding my arms.

"Oh, come on. I can't help it." Dean smiled. "I just love it when you get all jealous like that."

"That wasn't jealousy-"

"What was it?"

"Rage. You're a pig."

"Call me whatever you want, you still love me."

"Sadly. I just can't seem to get away." I muttered, a small smile appearing on my face as Dean grabbed my arm, pulling me to his side.

"You look like an angry little kitten. Just adorable."

"I swear to god, I will _kick_ _you_ in the nuts this time."

"Alright." Dean said, realizing me from his grip as he got into the Impala.  
…..

The dark street we drove down on our way to the bank's security guard's house was lit up by only a few streetlights scattered around the mixture of old houses.

"Here, this is it." I said, staring up at the small house Dean stopped in front of.

"Fuckin' cops." Dean huffed.

"They're just doing their job, Dean." Sam said.

"No, they're doing _our_ job, only they don't know it, so they suck at it." Dean complained. "Talk to me about this bank."

"Uh, Milwaukee National Trust. It was hit about a month ago." Sam told us as we got out of the Impala, making out way up to the front door.

"Same M.O. as the jewelry store?"

"Yep, inside job, longtime employee, the never-in-a-million-years type. Dude robs the bank, then goes home and supposedly commits suicide."

"The guy Resnick, he was the security guard on duty?"

"Yeah. He was actually beaten unconscious by the teller who heisted the place." I interjected.

"God."

"Yeah." I sighed, knocking on the screen door. "Mr. Resnick? Ronald Resnick?"

There was no answer or sound from inside, but suddenly a bright floodlight turned on, practically blinding us.

"Dear god. I think it's the aliens." I muttered, shielding my eyes.

"Sure, Moulder." Dean quipped.

"Don't be such a grouch Scully." I retorted. Just then a young man with long hair and a slightly bruised face came over to the door, a wary look on his face as he approached.

"FBI, Mr. Resnick." Sam said.

"Let me see the badge." He muttered. The three of us pulled out our badges, slapping them against the screen door roughly. Ronald squinted at them, pretending like he actually knew what he was looking for.

"I already gave my statement to the police." He said, leaning back from the screen.

"Yeah, listen Ronald...just some things about your statement we wanted to get some clarification on." Dean told him.

"You read it?" Ronald asked, surprised.

"Sure did."

"You come to listen to what I've got to say?"

"Well, that's why we're here." Dean nodded.

"Well. Come on in." Ronald muttered, opening the door, leading us inside down a narrow hallway to a small, cluttered room. The walls were completely covered with alien pictures and other paraphernalia.

I felt like I really did just walk into a scene from _The X-Files_.

"None of the cops ever called me back. Not after I told them what was really going on. Uh, they all thought I was crazy. First off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust, okay? That, I guarantee. See, we and Juan were friends. He used to come back to the bank on my night shifts, and we'd play cards."

"So you let him into the bank that night, after hours." Sam said.

"The thing I let into the bank...wasn't Juan. I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't his face. Uh, every detail was perfect, but too perfect, you know, like if a dollmaker made it, like I was talking to a big Juan-doll." Ronald muttered, a crazy look coming into his eyes.

"A _Juan-doll_?" Sam asked doubtfully, clearly questioning the validity of this guys story.

"Look. This wasn't the only time this happened. Okay?" Ronald scrambled through a pile of papers, handing Sam a folder he'd found." There was this jewelry store, too. And the cops, a- and you guys, you just won't see it!"

I peered over at the folder in Sam's hands, noticing how similar the folder looked to a hunters profile of a case. I had to admit, I was pretty impressed.

"Both crimes were pulled by the same thing." Ronald finished.

"What's that, Mr. Resnick?" Sam asked. Ronald reached for a _Fortean Times_ magazine, holding it to his chest for we could see the headline, which read _Birth of the Cybermen._

"The Chinese have been working on 'em for years. And the Russians before that. Part men, part machine. Like the Terminator. But the kind that can change itself, make itself look like other people."

"Like the one from T2." Dean smirked.

"Exactly! See, so not just a robot, more of a- a- a- Mandroid!"

"A Mandroid?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And what makes you so sure about this, Ronald?" Dean interjected.

Ronald held up a finger, signaling for us to wait a second as he darted out of the room. I could hear loud shuffling and a few slams as things fell to the floor.

"Guys onto something." Dean muttered.

"You're not actually serious." Sam said, throwing his brother a look.

"Wh-"

After a really loud bang in the other room, followed by a few explicatives, Ronald finally reappeared, a crazy smile on his face as he pushed a VHS tape into the player beneath the TV.

"See, I made copies of all the security tapes. I knew once the cops got them they'd be buried." Ronald muttered, hitting fast forward. "Now watch. Watch him, watch, watch! See, look! Th- th- there it is!"

My eyes went out of focus as I stared at what was on the television. I breath got stuck in my throat as I felt a phantom blade slashing across the few thin lines of raised skin on my chest and stomach and froze.

That wasn't just a coincidence and that wasn't just some camera flare or reflected light.

It was a shapeshifter.

"You see? He's got the laser eyes." Ronald finished, too happy about this for my liking. "Cops said it was some kind of reflected light. Some kind of camera flare. Ain't no damn camera flare. They say I'm a post-trauma case. So what? Bank goes and fires me, it don't matter!"

I almost started to worry for Ronald as he ranted on and on about all of this. He was getting himself so worked up, I was afraid he might pass out.

"You see, this thing, it- it kills the real person, makes it look like a suicide, then it sorta, like, morphs into that person. Cases the job for a while until it knows the take is fat, and then it finds its opening. Now, these robberies, they're- they're grouped together." He continued, getting up quickly, moving over to a map on the wall.  
"So I figure the Mandroid is holed up somewhere in the middle, underground, maybe. I dunno, maybe that's where it recharges its, uh, Mandroid batteries."

"Mandroid batteries?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Ronald nodded, taking a deep breath as he turned to face us. "The Mandroid is still out there, I know it. And if the law won't hunt this thing down - I'll do it myself."

He clearly had no real idea of what he was up against. We couldn't just sit back and let him go after this thing, he'd get killed. I wouldn't let that happen.

"Mr. Resnick, I want you to listen. Because I'm about to tell you the God's honest truth about all of this." I started, trying to figure out how to say this in the nicest way possible.

A small smile appeared on Dean's face as he waited for what I was going to say. Sam shot me a wary look, wondering where I was going with this.

What we did, it was all about protecting the innocent, right? Even if we had to crush a few imaginations in the process.

"There is no such thing as _mandroids_." I said, feeling Ronald's energy drop immediately. "You can't go after them, because there is nothing to go after. Do you understand?"

A sad look crossed Ronald's eyes, and to be honest, it pained me to see. Once again, nobody believe him...or so he thought.

"But the laser eyes."

"…just a camera flare." I said, not breaking my poker face. "I'm sorry, but your friend Juan robbed the bank and that's it. There's nothing more."

Ronald stared down at the floor for a moment before jumping to his feet angrily. "Get out of my house! Now!"

"Okay." I nodded, backing out of the room with Dean.

"Sure." Sam nodded calmly, going over to the VCR, taking the tape out. "First things first, we'll have to take this. And every other copy."

At least I wasn't the only bad guy in Ronald's eyes now.

MOTEL – NIGHT

After we were finished at Ronald's house, we made our way back to the motel to try and figure some other things out and maybe even get the chance to sleep a couple hours before we started all over again tomorrow.

"Man, that has got to be the kicker, straight up. I mean, you tell that poor son of a bitch that- what did you say, _remand the tapes that he copied_? Classified evidence of an ongoing investigation?" Dean laughed, looking up at Sam. "That's messed up."

"What, are you pissed at me or something?" Sam asked, placing the VCR in the player under the TV, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Nah, I just think it's a little creepy how good of a Fed you can be." Dean said, glancing over at me. "I mean, come on, don't you think we could have at least thrown the guy a bone. He did some pretty good legwork here."

"Mandroid?" Sam scoffed.

"Except for the mandroid part. I liked him. He's not that different from you or me. People think we're crazy." Dean muttered.

"Only he's not a hunter, Dean. He's just a regular guy who stumbled onto something _real._ Something someone like him has no business being around. Do you know what would happen if he went up against that thing? Look what happened to you-" I said, nodding to Dean and I rambled without thinking. "What happened to me."

A dead air of silence fell into the room just then. I bit my cheek, not meaning to let that last part slip out. Dean started to lightly pound the table with his fist and I could feel the anger start to radiate off of him. I glanced around the room until Sam's concerned eyes found mine. He turned towards me in the chair, VCR tape in hand.

"Tori, are you- are you gonna be okay with all this?"

"Of course." I scoffed. "I'm not that fragile."

"I know you're not."

"Maybe you shouldn't tag along for this one." Dean muttered.

"Excuse me?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Yeah. Stay here until this all blows over."

"I'm not gonna do that, Dean." I said. "I can handle this. I've been through worse."

"But-"

"Maybe I'm a little uneasy, but that's okay." I said, throwing him a small smile when he looked up. "Plus, I'll have a big, strong man there to protect me, anyway."

Dean smiled cockily, leaning back in the chair. "Well-"

"Yup." I nodded, moving over to Sam, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sam here will never leave my side, you won't even have to worry."

The smirk immediately fell off of Dean's lips as he narrowed his eyes at me. "Oh, nice. Thanks."

"I'll take good care of her, being the big, strong man that I am." Sam grinned.

After a moment of silence, Dean calmly walked over towards the bed, smacking Sam on the back of the head before pulling me into his arms, placing a deep, long kiss oh my lips. Once he pulled away, I blinked a few times, watching him make his way over to the map we'd pinned on the wall, still a little taken a-back.

A look of amusement crossed Sam's face when he saw the dumb, love-struck look on mine. "You guys want me to leave...or?"

"Well, maybe-" Dean started, a lustful look in his eyes as he watched me.

"No, no, no." I shook my head, finally breathing right again. "Later. Right now, we've got work to do."

Dean nodded, turning back to the map to trace the pattern of the sewer system.

"Well, look...if this shifter's anything like the one we killed in Missouri..." Sam started cautiously.

"Then Ronald was right." Dean finished. "Alright, they like to layer up underground, preferably the sewer. And all the robberies have been connected so far, right?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"With the, uh, sewer main layout. There's one more bank lined up on that same sewer main." Dean said, pointing to the City Bank of Milwaukee.

"Guess we know where to go." I muttered.

"Yup." Dean nodded, grabbing his jacket. "Let's head out."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Shouldn't we rest a little first?" I asked. "Just in case?"

"Who needs sleep?" Dean asked, heading towards the door. "We'll grab some coffee on the way, come on."

I glanced back at Sam, sharing a look of exasperation with him as he got up, pulling the tape out of the VCR player, placing it on top of the TV.

BANK – NIGHT

On the way there, Dean got the fabulous idea for us to pose as security technicians, so now we were walking through the bank in probably the most uncomfortable jumpsuits ever.

Everything seemed pretty normal in here, with employees working, just doing their jobs. You wouldn't think things were about to go to shit any second.

"Well, we haven't had any flags go up on our system yet." The head guard muttered as he led us down a hall towards the security room.

"No, this is a glitch in the overall grid. We just want to make sure the branch monitors are kosher." Dean told him.

"Well, better to be safe than sorry, I guess."

"That's the plan." I said.

The guard opened the door to a small observation room, one of the walls holding several monitors with security footage of every part of this building and a desk and chairs in front of it.

"Alrighty. You guys need anything else?" He asked, backing out the door after the three of us walked inside.

"Oh, no, no, we'll be, uh, we'll be in and out before you know it, just a routine check." Sam said.

"Okie-dokie." The guard said with a smile, closing the door behind him.

"I like him." Dean grinned. "He says _Okie-dokie_."

"And what if he's the shifter?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, then we follow him home and put a silver bullet through his chestplate." Dean said, not giving the response a second thought.

"Okie-dokie." I smiled, sitting down in between the boys in front of all the monitors.

"Okay." Dean sighed, looking around. "Either of you got any popcorn?"

"Oh yeah, why didn't we think to bring snacks to a stakeout?" I asked sarcastically.

Moments passed, and the three of us we watched intently as people looked up to the cameras at different times, noticing nothing. At one point, the guard went back out into the main room, literally looking right into the camera and...nothing.

"Well, it looks like mister okie-dokie is...okie-dokie." Dean muttered.

"Maybe we rushed into this. We don't even know this thing is here." I said, feeling a little hopeful at that.

"Mhm." Dean mumbled, distracted as he stared at one of the screens.

"Maybe we should just go to the sewers and..." Sam trailed off, noticing what Dean was doing. My eyes followed his gaze to the screen Dean was staring at. "We're supposed to be looking for eyes, Dean."

Now I knew why Dean was looking so intently – zooming one of the cameras in on a woman's ass.

"I'm getting there." Dean mumbled, seemingly lost in what he was doing. I watched for another moment, then, without a word, I slapped him on the back of the head pushing his chair away from the desk with force.

"Dick." I spat.

"Sorry."

"Shut up. Some of us are actually trying to get things done here." I said, turning back to the screen. The moment I did, a middle aged man's eyes flashed when he turned towards the camera. "Shit."

"Hello, freak." Dean muttered, wheeling himself back beside me. Sam quickly got up, heading for the door. I stood up, moving to go with him when Dean grabbed my wrist, holding me back.

"I can do this, Dean." I grumbled.

"Wait." He called, stopping Sam at the door.

"What?" Sam asked, coming back over.

"Look."

My eyes widened as Ronald entered the bank, quickly pulling a chain and padlock out of his backpack, chaining the door shut.

…..

We made our way out of the security room and back down the hallway towards the main hall as a few panicked people brushed past us.

"Great." I huffed. "Now we have a shifter _and_ a maniac vigilante running around in here."

"And you said we shouldn't bring guns." Dean said, glancing over at Sam.

"I didn't know this was gonna happen, Dean."

"Just let me do the talking. I don't think he likes the two of you very much."

The closer we got, the clearer I could hear Ronald's voice as he shouted throughout the bank, his voice echoing.

"Now, there's only one way in or out of here, and I chained it up. So nobody's leaving, do you understand?" He yelled.

When we reached the end of the hallway, I stayed behind with Sam, a twinge of fear in my chest as Dean made himself known, walking around the corner of the wall.

"Hey, buddy. Calm down. Just calm down-"

"What the- you! Get on the floor, now." Ronald demanded, pointing the gun at Dean. I jumped slightly, watching closely.

"Okay, we're doing that. Just don't shoot anybody, especially us."

"I knew it. As soon as you three left. You ain't FBI. Who are you? Who are you working for, huh? The men in black? You working for the mandroid?"

"We're not working for the mandroid!" Sam exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

"They're not even real!" I added.

"You two shut up!" Ronald yelled. "I ain't talking to you. I don't like you."

"Sure." I nodded, trying to ignore Dean's _I told you so_ look.

"Get on 'em. Frisk them down, make sure they got no weapons on them." Ronald ordered one of the hostages, getting upset when they didn't move. "Go!"

A man walked over checking each of us – Dean being the last one. From the look on Dean's face, I could see that the man was about to find something as he reached down into Dean's boot, finding a knife there.

"Dean." I hissed.

"I'm not just gonna walk in here naked!"

The man handed Ronald the knife, and got back into place with the other hostages as directed. Ronald took the knife and dropped it in the deposit box, pointing his gun back at us.

"No, no-" Dean winced as the silver knife clattered – falling out of reach. "We know you don't want to hurt anybody. That's exactly what's gonna happen if you keep waving that cannon around, and why don't you let these people go?"

"No! I already told you. If nobody's gonna stop this thing, then I've got to do it myself."

"We do believe you!" I said, trying again to talk to him. "That's why we're here."

"You don't believe me. Nobody believes me! How could they?"

"Come here." Dean said, motioning for him to walk over.

"What? No."

"You're holding the gun, boss, you're calling the shots. I just want to tell you something. Come here." Dean said, glancing back at me. I shot him a nervous look, not liking the idea of Ronald getting so close to him.

After Ronald made his way over, Dean lowered his voice so only we could hear. "It's the bank manager."

"What?" Ronald asked.

"Why do you think we've got these getups, huh? We've been monitoring the cameras in the back. We saw the bank manager. We saw his eyes." Dean told him.

"His laser eyes?"

"Yes." Dean nodded, quickly shaking his head. "No. No! Look, we're running out of time, okay? We've got to find him before he changes into someone else."

"Like I'm gonna listen to you. You're a damn liar." Ronald spat. Dean started to stand up, his hands held in front of him. Immediately, Ronald pointed his gun at him.

"No!" I exclaimed, moving to get up. Sam stopped me, holding me back slightly, but not fast enough to go unnoticed by Ronald, who now pointed his gun at me.

"I'll shoot you! Get back down!" He yelled.

"Hey." Dean called, his voice hard. "Take me, okay? Take me with you, take me as a hostage. But we've gotta act fast. Because the longer we just sit here the more time he has to change."

I glanced back at Sam, seeing my worried look mirrored in his face. Neither one of us wanted Dean to be alone with that psycho, even though he could easily overpower him, it wasn't the point.

You can't trust crazy when it has a gun.

"Look at me, man." Dean said, still trying to convince him. "I believe you. You're not crazy. There really is something inside this bank."

"Alright." Ronald nodded. "You come with me. But everyone else gets in the vault!"

Everyone gasped loudly at that, some started whimpering to each other as Ronald corralled everyone, swinging the gun around like it was nothing.

"Come on, move, move! Move, move!" He yelled, pushing us into a large vault before looking to Dean. "And you lock it up."

"You can't do this." I said to Dean as he started moving the heavy door shut.

"It's okay. Just stay cool."

" _Stay cool_?" I repeated, my eyes practically bulging out of my head. Did he forget what we were about to be locked in here with?

"I'll be back." Dean said, throwing me a wink before shutting the door.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me." I mumbled quietly, looking back to Sam.

A redhead woman stared at the door after Dean with googly eyes. "Who is that man?"

"He's my brother." Sam answered.

"He is so brave."

"And stupid." I muttered.

"Excuse me?" The woman, who I now noticed to be the ass Dean was staring at before, asked – acting like she had the right to be offended after looking at Dean for a whole five minutes.

I didn't say a word to her, folding my arms in front of me, leaning back against the vault wall.

This was going to be a long wait.

 **BANK OFFICE  
** DPOV

Ronald walked in front of me, his gun held out in front of him as we made our way through a line of offices, going into one of them.

"Check behind the desk." I told him, going into one of the back rooms.

Not even a second passed before I heard Ronald let out a wail, followed by a thud. I ran back out into the office, my eyes darting around to see if anything was in here. As I looked, my eye caught a glimpse of something glimmering on the floor next to Ronald, who seemed to just notice it himself.

He screamed, pointing his gun as it as he stood. "What the hell is that?"

"When it changes form, it sheds its old skin." I told him, inspecting the goo with one of the lamps on the desk. "So, now it could be anybody."

"It's so- so weird." Ronald muttered, picking up a piece of the skin, wiggling it back and forth. I stared at him, trying not to gag as he held it way to fucking close to his face. "Its robot skin is so lifelike."

"Okay, let's get something straight." I huffed. "It's- it's not a mandroid. It's a shapeshifter."

"Shapeshifter?" Ronald asked, looking up at me.

"Yeah. I mean, it's human, more or less. Has human drives – and in this case it's money. But it generates its own skin, it can shape it to match someone else's features, you know, taller, shorter, male-"

"So it- it- it kills someone and then takes their place."

"Kills them, doesn't kill them, I don't think it really matters." I said, looking around the desk, examining a letter opener I found.

"What are you doing?" Ronald asked.

"Nice." I sighed in relief, determining it was silver. "You remember the old werewolf stories? Pretty much came from these guys. Silver's the only thing I've seen that hurts them." I said, striding out the door with him behind me. "Come on, Ronald. We have to find a couple more of these things."  
…

As we walked through another hallway, I could still hear Ronald chuckling behind me.

"What are you, nuts?" I asked.

"That's just it. I'm not nuts. I mean, I was so scared that I was losing my marbles. But this is real! I mean, I- I- I was right! Except for the mandroid thing. Thank you." Ronald said, a warm smile on his face.

If I didn't start walking again, I'd stay he was two seconds away from trying to hug me.

"Yeah, don't mention it." I mumbled, talking a few steps more when suddenly all the power cut out, leaving on only a few emergency lights.

"Dammit!" I exclaimed, knowing there was only one reason this way happening.

"What? What is it?"

"They cut the power. Probably their way of saying hi."

"Who?" Ronald asked, completely confused.

"The cops." I told him.

"The cops?!" He practically shouted.

"Well, you weren't exactly a smooth criminal about this, Ron. I mean, you didn't even secure the security guard. He probably called them."

"Well, I- I didn't- I didn't think th-"

"Alright, hang on, hang on. Let's just take a breath here for a second, alright? They- they've probably got us surrounded. They've cut the power to the cameras so there's no way of telling who the shapeshifter is-" I stopped, realizing how screwed we were. "It's not looking good, Ron."

Ronald flinched at a noise a little ways down the hallway, bringing up his rifle.

"Did you hear that?"

 **VAULT  
** TPOV

As the darkness fell into the vault, everyone started to panic even more than before, their breathing becoming labored as if the lack of light was stopping them from breathing. I made my way back over to Sam's side, only able to see faint outlines as I moved.

"I guess we know who did that, huh?" I asked.

"Yup." Sam mumbled.

"Has your brother always been so, um, wonderful?" The redhead asked, her voice seemingly more loud and obnoxious in the dark. "I mean, staring down that gun. And you know the way he played right into that psycho's crazy head, telling him what he wanted to hear, I mean...he's like, a real hero or, or something-"

Don't get me wrong, I loved Dean with all my heart, but hearing this woman go on and on and on, coupled with the fact that we were trapped in here with the shifter - completely defenseless - was really grating on my nerves.

"Alright lady, I'm gonna tell you this once – if you keep talking, I swear I'm gonna sock you." I hissed, moving towards her. Sam quickly wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me back as the woman slunk against the wall, looking at me with a mixture of fear and confusion.

Suddenly, the loud sound of the vault unlocking echoed and the door swing open. Dean appeared with a handgun and the woman started clapping, a huge smile on her face. "Oh my god, you saved us! You saved us!"

"Actually, I just found a few more. Come on, everybody, let's go. Let's go." Dean said ushering a few more people into the vault.

"What are you doing?" The woman asked, her voice full of confusion.

"He's a hero, alright." I mumbled, glancing back at her.

"Sam, Tor, look, uh, Ronald and I need to talk to you." Dean said. Sam immediately left the vault without a word, joining Dean outside.

"Sorry." I muttered, backing out of the vault. Once outside, Dean shrugged to the people, closing the door on them yet again.

"How are you?" Dean asked, looking me over.

"Fine. I met a fan of yours in there."

"What?"

"She's president of the Dean Winchester fan-club, apparently. Didn't shut up about you. How wonderful you are."

"Which one?" Dean asked, a smirk on his lips. "I'll have to thank her later."

"Oh, you'll know when you see her ass. You stared at it long enough." I said, folding my arms. Guilt washed into Dean's eyes as he looked into mine, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry about that, really."

"I know. I don't care that much. We'll worry about it later." I said, remembering the cops outside. "If we _get_ a later, that is."

"Alright." Dean muttered. "So, the shifter, it's shed its skin again. We don't know when - it could be in the halls, it could be in the vault."

"Great." Sam scoffed.

"Dean, you know you are wanted by the police. You remember that, right?" I asked, concern filling me.

"Yeah."

"Even if we do find this fucking thing, how the hell are we gonna get out of here?"

"Well, one problem at a time." Dean muttered, shrugging it off. "Alright, I'm gonna do a sweep of the whole place, see if we can find any stragglers. Once we get everyone together we've got to play a little game of find-the-freak, so...here." Dean handed a silver letter opener to Sam, then one to me.  
"Found these for you. Now stay here, make sure Ronald doesn't hurt anybody, okay? Help him manage the situation."

"Help him manage? Are you insane?" Sam asked, his voice raised. Ronald looked over, his brow furrowed. Dean smiled, giving him a thumbs up before turning back to Sam and I.

"Look, I know this isn't going the way we wanted-"

"Understatement!" Sam shouted.

"But if we invite the cops in right now, Ronald gets arrested, we get arrested, the shifter gets away, probably never find it again, okay?" Dean said.

I glanced over at Ronald, finding him peering out of the window, in plain view. I rolled my eyes, gesturing over to him so Dean could see what he was doing.

"Ron! Out of the light!" Dean yelled.

"Seriously?!" Sam exclaimed.

"Yeah, Ron's game plan was a bad plan, I mean, it was a bit of a crazy plan, but right now crazy's the only game in town, okay?" Dean slapped Sam on the shoulder, turning to leave. I grabbed his wrist, holding him back.

"Like I'm letting you go out there by yourself."

"I'll be fine." Dean reassured me. "Please, I need you to stay here and keep everyone in check."

"Fine. But if you don't come back-"

"I'm coming back." Dean said. I nodded, pulling him in for a quick kiss before he walk away, disappearing into the darkness.

"Hi, Ronald." Sam muttered quietly a few feet away before going over to the vault, opening it. "I'm going to leave this open. Give you guys some fresh air, alright? But no one leaves this vault."

"I don't understand. Why are you helping him?" The woman asked, an angry tone to her voice.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

With a sigh, I made my way over to Ronald, sitting down next to him. He glanced up at me, a small tinge of annoyance still in his eyes. "What?"

"Just wanted to say hi."

"Hi." He grumbled, going back to staring down at his gun.

"Ronald, I- I just wanted to apologize for before."

"You mean when you crushed every single idea I had?" He asked, shaking his head. "You wouldn't be the first."

"I just didn't want you to get hurt. I've experienced these things before. They're dangerous and not what you think-"

"They're shapeshifters." Ronald muttered, looking up at me. "I've been informed."

"Okay then." I nodded, knowing Dean must've told him at some point. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Keeping people safe, it's kind of our thing. That's all I was trying to do."

"I understand." He said, glancing up at me with a small gleam of amusement in his eyes. "You had to know that a crazy like me would've just come anyway, though."

"I probably should've, yeah." I nodded, laughing lightly. "But honestly, you're not really that crazy."

"Clearly. Freakin' shapeshifters, man!" He exclaimed.

"And hey, maybe mandroids really do exist, too." I said, gaining a big smile from Ronald.

"I think I gotta get out of here!" The guard called suddenly, breathing heavily as he clutched his chest.

"Look, I'm very sorry, but you're just going to have to stay put, alright." Sam told the guard apologetically.

A few people in the vault started trying to push the door open from the inside, so I quickly made my way over to try and help keep it closed. Just then, the phone started ringing and Ronald went over to it, a panicked look on his face.

"Don-" I tried to stop him, but he picked up the receiver anyway, holding it to his ear.

"Hello?" Ronald answered, his voice shaking. "What? What do you mean, demands?"

"Hang up." I hissed from across the room.

"No, I- I'm not a bank robber, I- I- I'm kind of a crime fighter, I guess." Ronald sputtered.

"Ronald, hang up!" I exclaimed quietly as the guard started to panic more.

"I've got to really get out of here." He cried.

"Sir, you can't leave." I told him.

"Listen-" Sam started, still trying to keep everyone inside.

"No, I'm acting alone." Ronald said.

"Oh, dear god." I huffed, quickly making my way over to Ronald, slamming the phone back down, hanging it up. "The less the cops know, the better, alright?"

"Tori!" Sam called, his voice distressed.

"Hey! I think this dude's having a heart attack!" A man yelled from within the vault.

"Get a doctor!" A woman cried. I rushed back over to Sam's side, watching as a few people held the guard's head up as he laid on the floor.

"Great. Could be our guy. Could be a trick." Sam said.

"You're just going to let the man die?" Someone asked.

"No one's dying in here." Sam said, glancing over to me as he made his way to the phone. "Cover the door."

"Okay."

"Look, one of the people could be having heart trouble." I heard Sam say. "You need to send in a paramedic. Just send in a paramedic, okay? And don't try anything else. Please."

"Paramedic? We don't have time for that!" One of the men exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I really am, but nobody's getting out." I said, my heart breaking for the man.

"He's dying right in front of you." The man said as the guard started breathing more rapidly, clutching his chest.

"Calm down, please." I told him.

"Come on, man, you've gotta unlock the front door. We've got to get him out of here."

I heard a gun being cocked behind me, turning to see Ronald walking up, his gun pointed towards the man.

"Stay where you are." He ordered.

"Stop." I told him, looking back to the man.

My thoughts were scrambled for a moment, until I remembered that letter opener Dean had given me. I pulled it out, slowly approaching the guard. Sam came back over then, watching what I was doing. The man holding the guard watched also, a wary look in his eyes.

"What's that?" He asked, almost flinching when I moved to place the letter opener on the guards skin. I noticed his strange reaction, and out of instinct, at the last second, I touched the iron to his arm instead of the guards, watching as his skin sizzled underneath.

My eyes widened and the man quickly pushed me out of the way, knocking me to the ground as Dean ran up. In his haste to get away, he bumped into Dean, knocking him back slightly as he ran down the hallway.

"Stop! Come back here!" Ronald called, running after the shifter.

"He's the shifter." I told him.

"I know. I saw the guys body." Dean muttered, quickly moving follow after the shifter and Ronald. "You stay, get this guy help."

Before Dean could get near Ronald, he ran right out in front of a large window lining the front of the building, the moonlight catching him, followed by a single red beam that landed on his back.

"Get down!" Sam yelled to Ronald, pulling me down on the ground next to him for cover. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean quickly duck behind a counter.

But Ronald didn't listen to Sam's warning, and before I knew it, a gunshot went off.

"No!" I cried as the scene in front of us practically played out in slow motion.

We all watched in horror as Ronald slumped to his knees before dropping to the ground, his gun landing next to his side with a clang. The hostages started shouting in panic, about to run out of the vault.

"Stop!" I yelled to them. "Stay there, please!"

The last thing I wanted was for another innocent person to get hurt.

Dean crawled out from behind the counter, making his way to the one closer to Ronald. Sam and I did the same thing, staying slow to the ground, slowly moving beside him.

Sam reached into his pocket, handing Dean a key. "Here. Take care of the guard. I'm going after the shifter."

"Sam-" I said, looking up at him.

"I have to."

"Please be careful." I told him, watching as he nodded before running away, making sure to stay in the shelter of the shadows.

"Sorry, Ron." Dean said, looking down at his lifeless body. "You did a real good job tracking this thing, you really did."

Dean grabbed the rife off the floor before looking around, nodding for me to follow him. We made sure to stay under cover as we went over to the guard, who now seemed to be having a lot of trouble breathing.

I helped Dean pull the guard to his feet, moving to wrap one of the man's arms around my shoulder when Dean stopped me.

"No, you're not doing this."

"Dean, you can't-"

"I don't want them to see you." Dean said, propping the man on his shoulder.

"But you're wanted, Dean!"

"I'm pretty used to being a wanted man by now." Dean grinned, winking at me. Through the stupid joke, I could see in his eyes. He was serious.

And he'd probably tie me down somewhere if I kept trying to follow him.

"Don't do anything stupid." I said.

"When do I ever?"

I kept a good distance away from Dean as he carried the poor man towards the large front door, opening it slowly. From the small open gap in the door, I could finally see how crazy it'd gotten out there. The whole front parking lot was filled with news vans, dozens of cameras facing the building and reporters scattered around.

And cops.

Lots and lots of cops.

"No, don't shoot! Don't shoot! Please!" The guard yelled frantically as a line of police officers drew their weapons. I tensed up, watching from afar.

One of them could shoot Dean right now, kill him right in front of me...and there would be nothing I could do to stop it. Nothing.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't even think about it!" Dean said, almost holding up the rifle in his other hand.

"Please!"

"Get back! Now!" Dean yelled, his voice sending chills down my spine, causing the police and reporters to back up quickly. He could be pretty threatening when he wanted to.

"Okay, go, go!" Dean told the guard, pushing him slightly into a paramedics waiting arms. Dean quickly ducked back inside, shutting the door and latching it shut.

"Dean." I started, making my way over to him, being careful to stay in the shadows. "We are so-"

"Screwed." He finished, nodding. "Yeah, I know."

The faint sound of Dean's phone ringing echoed through the dark building as we made our way back over to the now empty vault for more protection.

I could only hope that the _hostages_ would be smart enough to stay out of direct light after seeing what happened to poor Ronald.

"Yeah?" Dean answered, a surprised look on his face as he took in what Sam said. "What?"

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried. "Is Sam okay?"

Dean nodded. "God, it's like playing the shell game. It could be anybody. Again."

"He changed again?" I asked. Dean nodded again in reply.

"Alright, you search every inch of this place. We're gonna go round everybody up." Dean said, hanging up the phone.

"Is it such a good idea to leave Sam alone?" I asked, getting worried about him.

"He's okay." Dean said, trying to hide the slight worry in his eyes. "He knows what he's doing."

"I know."

"Come on, we have to go find everyone."

I swear, if people just listened the world would be a better place.  
…...

"And I thought you were one of the good guys." The woman muttered, crossing her arms as we led her and all the other people we collected safely back into the vault.

"What's your name?" Dean asked.

"Why would you care?"

"Why would that matter?" I asked, looking at Dean with a raised eyebrow.

"My name's Dean." He said, ignoring me.

"I'm Sherry." She muttered.

"Hi, Sherry. Everything's gonna be alright. This will all be over soon, okay?" Dean said, a smile on his face. Sherry stared at him for a moment, a small smile appearing on her on lios.

"Alright then." I muttered, pushing Dean aside as I started closing the vault. "Catch you on the flip side."

"What?" Dean asked, catching the look I shot him after the vault was shut. "I was just trying to make her comfortable."

"Yeah." I scoffed. "I know your definition of _trying to make a girl comfortable_."

"Not like that. That's reserved only for yo-"

Dean was interrupted by the shrill sound of the bank's phone ringing. We shared a worried look, slowly going over to the phone. Dean set his handgun down on the desk, pulling in a deep breath before answering it.

"Yeah?"

I leaned in, hearing a man's voice on the line. " _This is Special Agent Victor Henriksen._ "

"Yeah, listen, I'm not really in the negotiating mood right now, so-"

" _Good. Me neither. It's my job to bring you in. Alive's a bonus but not necessary._ " He said, plain and simply. I felt a chill run down my spine, trying to hide my fear for Dean's sake.

"Whoa. Kinda harsh for a Federal Agent, don't you think?" Dean replied.

" _Well, you're not the typical suspect, are you, Dean?_ " Hendriksen asked, his voice hard. My heart immediately dropped as he uttered Dean's name, the two of us shared a look of horror. " _I want you and Sam out here, unarmed. Or we come in. And yes, I know about Sam too. Bonnie to your Clyde._ "

Dean's eyes widened even more when he mentioned Sam. "Yeah, well, that part's true, but how'd you even know we were here?"

" _Go screw yourself, that's how I knew. It's become my job to know about you, Dean. I've been looking for you for weeks now. I know about the murder in St. Louis, I know about the Houdini act you pulled in Baltimore. I know about the desecration's and the thefts. I know about your dad._ "

"Hey, you don't know crap about my dad." Dean spat.

" _Ex-marine, raised his kids on the road, cheap motels, backwood cabins. Real paramilitary survivalist type. I just can't get a handle on what type of whacko he was. White supremacist, Timmy McVeigh, to-may-to, to-mah-to_."

"You got no right talking about my dad like that. He was a hero." Dean spat, letting his anger get to him. I placed a hand on his arm, trying to silently get him to relax.

" _Yeah. Right. Sure sounds like it. You have one hour to make a decision or we come through those doors full automatic._ " Henriksen hung up, the dial tone resonating through the phone.

Dean hit the receiver to his forehead a couple times before I pulled it away from him, placing it back into the cradle.

"I fucked up." He mumbled.

"What?"

"We shouldn't have come here."

"Dean, it's not your fault. You didn't know this would happen, you can't blame yourself-"

"I don't know if you noticed, but we're fucked, Tori!" Dean exclaimed, getting upset.

My brain was running at a million miles a minute and I couldn't seem to focus on one though until, suddenly, something occurred to me.

"Wait."

"What?" Dean asked, still frustrated.

"He mentioned you...and Sam, right?"

"Yeah..." Dean nodded, annoyed at me for bringing it up again until he started to realized what I just had. "But he didn't mention you."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Dean muttered. The both of us heard the echo of footsteps running towards us and Dean quickly pulled up his gun, aiming it at the noise.

"Whoa!" Sam called, putting his hands up.

"We've got a bit of a problem outside."

"We got a problem in here." Sam said, nodding to the vault.

"Do not tell me-"

"The girl you wanted to punch-"

"Sherry." Dean told him, smiling innocently at me when I took an extra moment for Dean to think back over Sam's words before he realized what had said, a look of shock and amusement crossing his face. "Wait, you wanted to punch her?"

"She wouldn't stop talking." I shrugged. "You cannot judge me for that!"

"Okay, guys, Sherry is dead." Sam said.

"Great." I mumbled silently making my way over to the vault with the boys, opening it up. Everyone flinched, looking around nervously as the door swung open.

"Sherry? We're gonna let you go." Dean told her.

"What? Why me?" She asked, panicked.

"As a show of good faith to the feds."

"Uh...I think I'd- I'd rather stay here, with the others."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist." Dean said, slowly approaching her. Her eyes darted between the three of us warily, catching the silver blade in my hand. With a sigh of reluctance, she approached, following us out.  
...

Sam and Dean pushed her through the hallway, making our way towards the room where Sherry's body laid slumped over, her throat slit.

"I thought you were letting me go." She muttered, her voice shaking. Dean shoved her forward, grabbing the back of her neck, forcing her to look down at the body. She started screaming hysterically, her voice breaking.

"Is that community theater, or are you just naturally that good?" Dean asked, holding her roughly as she fought against his grip. I watched her struggle, realizing that she was acting more human than anything else. There was no way Dean would be able to hold a shifter so effortlessly.

This one was really playing it up.

"This is the last time you become anybody. Ever." Sam said, approaching her with the blade.

"No! Oh god!" Sherry screamed, fainting in Dean's arms.

We stared at her for moment, glancing back to the body on the ground. Dean dropped her to the floor pulling his blade out as he knelt next to her.

"Dean, wait, wait. What's the advantage of this plan? I mean, fainting now wouldn't help it survive." Sam pointed out.

"Huh." Dean mumbled, moving over to the other body. There was a bang outside, and the three of us looked up at the noise. As soon as we did, the _dead_ body next to Dean lurched up, grabbing him by the throat, causing the blade to fly out of his hands.

Just then Sherry woke up, only to scream at the sight in front of her, fainting again.

"Get her outta here! Now!" Dean told Sam, who quickly went over and collected Sherry in his arms, carrying her out.

I went after the blade, quickly grabbing before running over, stabbing the shifter in the side. It screamed quickly turning and backhanding me with so much force, I fell to the ground. Dean grabbed it's arms, but before he could get a good grip, it headbutted him, and bolted out.

Dean helped me to my feet and we made our way out of the room. My heart started pounding in my chest as I spotted a couple members of a S.W.A.T team heading our way from two different directions. Dean pulled me with him, running down an emergency flight of stairs leading down to the boiler room.

Dean went first, walking cautiously through the narrow room. Suddenly a hand flew out from behind one of the pipes, punching Dean, knocking him out. I immediately went to his side, making sure he was okay. He eyes fluttered open slightly, before shutting again. He was out cold.

Just then, a foot connected with my chest, sending me flying backwards. I looked up to see the shifter stepping over Dean, a sickening smile on her face.

"Look at you. You're so scared." The shifter grinned. I didn't respond, watching carefully as she tried to seem intimidating. "You try to act brave, but you're terrified of me, aren't you?"

"I think you should be the one that's scared." I hissed, standing to my feet, quickly pulling the blade out of my pocket, rushing towards her with it. The shifter moved quickly, punching me in the face, spitting my lip. I stumbled backwards, wiping the blood off my lip with my sleeve.

I charged at the shifter again, this time dodging their blow and landing one of my own against their cheek. The shifter grabbed my shoulders headbutting me, I pushed them back with one hand, slashing at their chest with the other. The shifter cried out in pain, grabbing my wrist, twisting it and shoving me up against a wall. I struggled against their grasp reaching around to grab their arm.

As I did so, a slab of skin slid off into my hand, I grimaced flicking it to the ground as I grabbed their now exposed flesh, digging my fingers in. The shifter cried, loosening their grip on me. I quickly wrapped a leg around theirs, hitting the back of their knee, 'causing them to buckle.

In their weakened state, I spun around overpowering and pushing them against the wall, quickly stabbing them in the chest with all the strength I could muster. The shifter groaned out in pain, dying as I let it slide to the ground.

After making sure the shifter was dead, I made my way back over to Dean, shaking him a few times before slapping him hard across the face. His eyes snapped open, jolting upright, looking around in panic. He spotted the shifter on the ground, looking back up to me with wide, questioning eyes.

"I'm not just a pretty face, you know." I joked, shooting him a small smile as he grinned.

"No, you're also a complete badass."

"How many times have I saved your life now?" I asked, moving to help him off the ground.

"Only a few-" He paused, staring down at my outstretched hand, that was still covered with the shifter's blood and...gunk, with a disgusted look. "What is that?"

"Don't worry about it." I mumbled, wiping my palm off on my jeans as I helped him up with my other hand. I heard footsteps and braced myself for whatever was coming next as a uniformed man entered with a flashlight.

No.

I could tell Dean was getting ready for a fight behind me, neither one of us about to not go down swinging. After what seemed like forever, the man took his helmet off, revealing himself to be Sam.

"Sam." Dean called, a happy tone to his voice.

"Ready to get out of here?" Sam asked the two of us.

"Fuck yeah." I said, walking over to him with Dean behind me.

"There's something you have to do first." He said, nodding behind him to two sets of S.W.A.T. uniforms.

…..

The three of us made our way up to the roof of the bank, passing a few S.W.A.T. team members that were at the end of a hallway as we went, exiting to the car garage.

There was some sort of strange nervous adrenaline rushing through my veins as we made our way out. My heart pounded in my throat as the heat suffocated me. I wasn't sure if it was from the helmet I wore, or the realization that we were in deep, deep shit.

We hastily made our way over to the Impala, quickly getting inside. Almost in unison, the three of us pull off our stolen S.W.A.T helmets, panting as we each stared straight ahead.

Dean started the car, the radio automatically coming on, loudly blaring _Renegade_ through the speakers. There were no words said as we all sat there in complete silence, listening to the song and it's irony.

 _Oh mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law. Law man has put an end to my running, and I'm so far from my home._

I felt the base pound hard in my chest, a tinge of fear gripping my heart. If we ever got caught...god, I don't even want to think about that.

 _Oh mama, I can you crying. You're so scared and all alone._

Ghosts, monsters...even demons - that stuff, we knew. That stuff, we could deal with. We could fight that. Hell, we could even run from it. But how much longer can we evade the cops? How many more times can we con our way out of situations successfully?

Things hadn't been _looking up_ for quite a while now, but this- this just added to the pile of shit we already had to deal with.

We were screwed. Big time.

 _Hang man is coming down from the gallows and I don't have very long..._

* * *

 **MAMA DON'T LET 'EM TAKE ME!**

 **I know I just totally ruined the seriousness there but I just couldn't help myself ;D**

 **Be sure to leave me some reviews and let me know if you liked this chapter! I love to hear from you. Also, feel free to private message me here or on my Instagram or Twitter (link; in my profile) because I really would love to start talking to you guys more and hearing your ideas and requests!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)**


	13. Houses of the Holy

_Punk rock party in a suburban home  
Everybody's famous here but nobody's known  
We got no music cause the speaker's blown apart  
The spirit's moving through a seaside town  
I'm born again to the latest sound  
New wave airwaves swilling around my heart _

… _.._

 _Prayers of fire on a rainy night  
Young men see visions beyond sound or sight  
The Velvets beginning to see the light  
Amen _

… _._

 _Yes, I can't change the world  
Yes, I can't change the world  
The poor breaking bread that's made out of stone  
The rich man won't eat, he's eating alone  
That's easy  
But I could change the world  
In me_

 _You no longer got a hold on me_  
 _I'm out of Lucifer's hands_  
 _You no longer got a hold on me_  
 _You're no longer in control of me_  
 _I am_

 _ **U2 – Lucifer's Hands**_

* * *

After parking the Impala behind the building, I got out, leaving Sam waiting in there as I quickly snuck inside the hospital, grabbing some extra scrubs and a clipboard from one of the closets before making my way to Gloria Sitnick's room – a woman who was being held here on a count of insanity after she killed a man in cold blood, claiming God told her to do it.

I had to admit, I was a little uncomfortable going through with this, but Sam had insisted, so here we were.

Once in front of Gloria's room, I peeked in through the window, seeing a young woman with straight blonde hair in a white bathrobe sitting at the edge of the bed, a book in her hands. I quietly entered, gaining her attention.

"Good morning." She said, looking up at me in confusion. "You're not the usual person."

"No, we're just filling in." I muttered. "So how are you feeling today, Gloria?"

"I've never felt better." She said, turning towards me.

"No disturbances lately?"

"You mean am I stark raving cuckoo for cocoa puffs?" She asked dryly.

"I didn't say that."

"It's alright. I know what people must think." She muttered.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think what I saw was real." She said. I nodded, pulling up a chair a few feet from her, sitting down and placing the clipboard in my lap.

"I'd like to know what you saw, if that's alright."

"It was all over the news. I stabbed a man in the heart." She mumbled, emotionless. I was a bit taken a-back by her monotone voice, but quickly concealed any discomfort.

"W- why would you do that?"

"Because it was God's will." She shrugged. I furrowed my brow at her response, watching her closely as she stared at the ground with dead eyes.

Even though Peter was a preacher, I wouldn't consider myself a super religious person, but it was something I respected and I knew a lot about it.

So I really doubt that God would tell her to stab someone in the heart.

"Did- did God _talk_ to you?" I asked, composing myself again.

"No. I get the sense God's a little busy for house calls." She mumbled sarcastically. "No, he- he sent someone."

" _Someone_? Like...a- a messenger?"

"Yes."

"An angel?" I asked, watching her nod.

"It came to me in this beautiful white light, and it filled me with this feeling. It's- it's hard to describe."

"And this _angel_..."

"Spoke God's Word."

"That God wanted to you kill someone?"

"I know, it sounds strange. But what I did was very important. I helped him smite an evil man. I was chosen. For redemption."

"This man you stabbed, did the angel happen to give you his name?"

"No, he just told me to wait for the sign. And the very next day I saw it, right beside the man's doorway. And I knew."

"Why him?" I asked, feeling sad for a life that was lost for seemingly no reason.

"I just know what the angel told me - that this man was guilty to his deepest foundations. And that was good enough for me." She said proudly.

"Okay." I nodded, standing to my feet. "It was nice talking to you, Gloria. Get some rest."

She nodded, going back to the book next to her as I exited the room, leaving through a back entrance. I waited at the back of the building for Sam as he drove up in the Impala. I barely even got into the car before he started asking questions.

"What happened?"

I let out a small breath, looking out the window for a moment before returning my eyes to Sam. "An angel spoke to her."

"An angel?!" Sam exclaimed, his brow furrowed. "What?"

"An angel told her to kill that guy. A _messenger from God._ " I muttered, shaking my head. "I don't know Sam, maybe the only thing going on here is a case of crazy."

"...maybe." Sam muttered, a strange look in his eyes as he drove out of the parking lot, heading back to the motel.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

We entered the motel room to find Dean lying down on one of the beds, the vibrator on, his eyes shut as he listened to music. I felt a small smile spread across my lips as I stared down at him. It wasn't often I got to see him so...blissful. It was nice, epically after what we'd been through the past few weeks.

Sam walked over to the edge of the bed, smacking Dean on the foot. "Hey!"

Dean cracked an eye open, sliding his headphones off as he looked over to me with a smirk. "We have to try this later...if you know what I mean."

"I'm down." I smiled, placing the bag I was carrying down on the table.

"You're enjoying that way too much. It's kind of making me uncomfortable." Sam muttered.

"What am I supposed to do? I mean, you two have me on lockdown here, I'm bored out of my skull."

"Hey, you were the bank robber on the eleven o'clock news, not us." Sam said. "We can't risk you just walking into a government facility."

"Mmhmm." Dean mumbled.

Sam waved a dismissing hand at Dean, turning to go into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I sat down at the chair, pulling the laptop out of the bag, opening it on the table. I started searching some things, looking up stuff on angels for curiously sake when the bed sputtered to a stop.

"Aw, dammit! That was my last quarter." Dean huffed, sitting up. "Do you have any quarters?"

"Nope, sorry babe."

"Shit." He mumbled, pulling his headphones off, crossing the room to the bathroom, swinging the door open without knocking.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, trying to close it.

"You got any quarters?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed, quickly shutting the door on Dean – who turned around, leaning against the wall.

"We'll get more quarters later, honey." I said, smiling up at him.

"Don't patronize me." Dean huffed, folding his arms. Sam exited the bathroom, throwing Dean another look as he made his way over to the table, catching what I was reading on the screen, he shot me a questioning look.

"So did you get in to see that crazy hooker?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Gloria Sitnick. And I'm not so sure she's crazy."

"What?" I asked, looking up at Sam in surpirse. "You're not sure?"

"I'm not sure." Sam repeated, sitting across from me.

"She seriously believes that she was….touched by an angel?" Dean asked, disbelievingly.

"Yup. Blinding light, feelings of spiritual ecstasy...all of it. I mean, she's living in a locked ward and she's totally at peace." I said.

"Oh yeah, sounds completely sane. What about the dude she stabbed?"

"Carl Gully. She said she killed him because he was evil." Sam said.

"Was he?"

"I couldn't find anything on him. He didn't have a criminal record, he worked at the campus library, had lots of friends. He even went to church." I said.

"Hm. So then Gloria's just your standard-issue wacko." Dean shrugged. "I mean, she wouldn't be the first nutjob in history to kill in the name of religion. Know what I mean?"

"Kinda what I thought."

"But she's the second in town to murder because an angel told them to. Little bit odd, don't you think?" Sam asked.

"Why would an angel tell someone to kill in the first place?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. " _Thou shalt not kill,_ remember? It's kind of one of the main things God teaches you _not_ to do."

"Yeah..." Sam trailed off, staring down at the table.

"Come on, angels? I don't think so." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"'Cause there's no such thing." Dean said, as if it were obvious. He and I have had this conversation a few times, he believed there was _something_ out there, but if he couldn't see it...then it just wasn't real.

Me, I knew there was something out there. Whether it was a God...or something else entirely, there had to be _something_. There was evil, but there had to be good too. A balance in the world. Someone had to be behind of all that, right?

"Dean, there's ten times as much lore about angels as there is about anything else we've ever hunted." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, you know what? There's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they, they ride on silver moonbeams, and they shoot rainbows out of their ass."

"Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit before things got too heavy in here, which could quickly happen between these two lately.

Epically since Dean wasn't allowed out much, he was frustrated practically all the time.

"That's cute." Dean grinned, looking back to Sam. "I'm just saying, man, there's just some legends that you just, you file under _bullcrap_."

"And you've got angels on the bullcrap list."

"Yep."

"Why?"

Dean let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Because I've never seen one."

"So what?"

"So I believe in what I can see."

"Are you serious?" Sam asked Dean, looking over to me. "Is he serious?"

"I think he's serious." I nodded, a small frown on my face at how upset Sam was becoming over this.

"Dean! We have seen things that most people couldn't even dream about."

"Exactly. With our own eyes. That's hard proof, okay? But in all this time I have never seen anything that looks like an angel. And don't you think that if they existed that we would have crossed paths with them? Or at least know someone that crossed paths with them? No. This is a- a demon or a spirit. You know, they find people a few fries short of a happy meal, and they trick them into killing these randoms."

"Maybe." Sam mumbled, looking disappointed.

"Can we just- I'm going stir-crazy man. Hey, let's go by Gloria's apartment, huh?"

"We were just there." I told him. "There was nothing. No sulfur, no EMF-"

"You didn't see any fluffy white wing feathers?" He interrupted, a humorous look in his eyes.

"No, but I did find a four-leaf clover and some pixie dust." I muttered dryly.

"Gloria did say the angel gave her a sign, right beside Carl Gully's doorway." Sam said.

"Could be something at his house." Dean said eagerly, already heading towards the door. "It's worth checking out."

"Dean-" I called, but he ignored me, grabbing his jacket and keys, heading out to the Impala. "Okay, then. Guess it's time to go." As I got up, Sam sat there for a moment, staring down at the table. I walked around, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah." Sam mumbled, standing up. "Let's go."

* * *

 **GULLY HOUSE – DAY**

The Impala pulled up in front of an older looking deep red colored two story house, looking up at the slightly ominous building as we exited the car, heading up to the porch steps where an angel figure sat next to the door. Dean looked down at it, scoffing.

"Oh hey. I think I found it. It's a sign from up above." Dean said, moving past the angel to peer in the window. "Well, I think I learned a valuable lesson: Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Year's, or you might get filleted by a hooker from God. Heh."

I rolled my eyes, peeking into the dark house through one of the dirty windows. Dean glanced back. looking at us expectantly. His face dropped slightly when neither Sam or I laughed and backed away from the window.

"I'm laughing on the inside." Sam deadpanned, leaving us to head around the back of the house.

"What's up with him?" Dean asked, walking beside me as I made my way down the steps.

"He's upset."

"Why?"

"I think it's because you don't believe in angels." I said, looking up at him. Dean rolled his eyes, letting out a huff.

"So what?" Dean asked. "I haven't ever believed in that crap."

"Dean."

"Sorry." He apologized. "I know you don't think it's crap."

"I don't."

"But you think everything going on here isn't just so psycho mumbo jumbo?"

"I mean, yeah. I can't see an angel ordering someone to kill." I sighed. "Let's go find Sam."

Dean watched me for a moment before nodding, the both of us making out way over to Sam who was standing in front of a storm cellar.

"You know, Gloria said the guy was guilty to his deepest foundations." Sam said, looking up at Dean and I as we approached.

"You think she literally meant the foundation?" Dean asked.

"I love how we always end up in gross, dark places." I mumbled sarcastically, pulling a flashlight out of my jacket pocket as Sam and Dean opened each side of the door, peering into the dark entrance.

Dean went down the stairs first, followed by Sam, then me – each of us shining our flashlights on the dusty concrete lining the walls. I started looking near the base of the wall down by the floor when some scratches there caught my eye. I went over, bending down to find a broken off finger nail there stuck in one of the scratches. I held it up, examining it closely.

"You got something?" Dean asked, walking over to me.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"A fingernail." I muttered, glancing up at them. "This isn't good, is it?"

Dean turned without a word, pulling a couple shoves from the wall, starting to dig in the ground. After some digging, a pit was being formed and I could see pieces of an off-white shell like thing starting to poke through.

I hope that isn't what I think it was.

"Oh god." Sam muttered. I opened my eyes to see a skull being uncovered, followed by a few others and various bones.

"Bastard." I hissed.

"So much for the innocent churchgoing librarian."

"Yeah, well, whatever spoke to Gloria about this knew what it was talking about, I'll give you that." Dean said. "Let's get this covered back up and go."

* * *

After covering the ditch, the three of us made our way back to the front of the house where the Impala was parked. It amazed me how such horrible things could go so unnoticed, I just didn't understand it.

"No, no." Sam said, stopping Dean when he moved to get in the driver seat.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Dean asked.

"You're not driving."

"Why?"

"Because, you have to go back to the motel."

"What?!"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, looking up at me. "Right?"

"No." Dean groaned, giving me his best puppy dog eyes. "Please."

"Sorry-"

"Oh, come on."

"Dean, it's too dangerous." I said. "Sam and I have to do some more digging and you can't be running around town."

"But-"

"No buts!" I exclaimed, opening the back door of the Impala, pushing Dean inside as Sam chuckled. I slammed the door, shooting Sam a hard look before pushing him aside, getting in the driver seat.

* * *

Once we'd dropped a very unhappy Dean back off at the motel, I made him promise me he wouldn't hotwire a car and try to get away. After I'd made sure he was settled, I made my way back out to the Impala, where Sam was now sitting in the driver seat, waiting for me.

"Ready?" He asked, looking over at me as I got in the passenger side.

"As I'll ever be." I sighed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "You?"

"Uh-huh."

He could try to hide it all he wanted, I knew he was lying. But we had a work to do, and he clearly wasn't about to answer any questions I had, so I figured I'd wait and see how the rest of the day goes.

* * *

After a long day of doing research, Sam and I decided there wasn't much else we could do from a library and made our way back to the hotel. As soon as we entered I could hear the static from the police scanner Dean held as he looking up at us.

"Did you bring quarters?"

"Dude, I'm not enabling your sick habit." Sam said, throwing a sandwich at his brother.

"I'm starting to think you like that more than me." I joked, making my way over to the table.

"I wouldn't say _more.."_

"Hey!" I exclaimed, throwing a balled up napkin at his head.

"You're like one of those lab rats that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies." Sam commented, sitting across from me.

"What are you talking about? I eat." Dean said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "And I got news."

"Us too."

"Alright, you go first."

"Well, three students have disappeared off the college campus in the last year." I told him. "And all of them were last seen at the library."

"Where Carl Gully worked."

"Yeah."

"Sick bastard." Dean spat.

"Couldn't agree more."

"So Gloria's angel-" Sam started.

"Angel?" Dean interrupted.

"Okay. Whatever this thing is…."

"Okay, well, whatever it is, it's struck again."

"What?"

"I was listening to the police radio before you got here. There was this guy, uh, Zach Smith, some local drunk; he went up to a stranger's front door last night, stabbed him in the heart."

"And then I'm guessing he went to the police and confessed?"

"Yep. Roma Downey made him do it." Dean muttered, picking up a piece of paper from the desk. "Now, I got the victim's address-"

"Great. Sam and I will head over there now." I said, moving to take the paper from him. He quickly jerked his hand back, holding it out of my reach.

"Now wait a second." Dean said, holding the paper higher when I grabbed at it. "I found this, I should get to go."

"Dean, don't be such a child." I muttered, jumping for the piece of paper as he stood on his tip-toes, holding the paper out of my reach again. I huffed, getting irritated. "Give it!"

"No."

"Dean, so help me-"

"That's not fair, I wanna go!" Dean practically whined.

"Well, you can't."

"I can and you can't stop me."

"Oh, really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I could always tie you to the bed."

Dean's eyes lit up for a moment before darkening as a smirk spread across his lips. "Well, don't threaten me with a good time."

"Ew." Sam mumbled. "I really didn't need that image."

"Well, no one told you to picture it." Dean said, rolling his eyes.

I shook my head, letting out a sigh. "Dean, I'm just worried-"

"Everything will be fine. No one's gonna know."

* * *

 **VICTIM'S HOUSE – DAY**

The sun was just starting to set as we made our way to the man's house, climbing over a large white fence into the yard. Luckily one of the windows was unlocked so we were able to get inside pretty easily. Sam made his way over to the computer as Dean and I went through the house, searching around for anything.

After a bit of looking, the only thing I found was a box a tissues and some lotion placed a little too close together on an end table for my liking. There was absolutely nothing here. It just seemed like a regular guys house. We decided to head back into the computer room to see if Sam had more luck than we did.

"Find anything?" Sam asked, spotting us in the doorway.

"Well, Frank liked his catalog shopping, but that's about all I got." Dean shrugged.

"Not much here. Except he's got this one locked file on his computer, I can't…hold on. Not anymore" Sam paused, grinning as he gained access to the file. Suddenly, his grin faded to a look of disgust.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, he's got all these emails. Dozens, to this lady named Jennifer...this lady who's thirteen years old."

"Jesus."

"Oh, I don't want to hear this." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Looks like they met in a chat room. These emails are pretty personal. Look at that. Setting up a time and place to meet."

"Great."

"They were supposed to meet today."

"Huh. Well, I guess if you're gonna stab someone, good timing. I don't know, man, this is weird, you know? I mean, sure, some spirits are out for vengeance, but this one's almost like a do-gooder, you know? Like- like a-"

"Avenging angel." Sam finished. Dean shot him a look, turning away from Sam and I, staring at one of the shelves.

"How else can you explain it?" Sam asked. "Three guys, not connected to each other, all stabbed through the heart? At least two were world-class pervs, and I bet if you dug deep enough on the other guy-"

"But would an angel tell a person to commit _murder_? One of the biggest sins?" I asked. "Even if it was to help get rid of some of the evil in the world., I just-"

"Hey." Dean interrupted, picking something up.

"What?"

"You said Carl Gully was a churchgoer, right?"

"Yeah?"

"What was the name of his church?"

"Our Lady of the Angels." I told him.

"Of course that'd be the name." Dean scoffed, holding up a church pan flit. "Looks like Frank went to the same church."

* * *

 **OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS CHURCH – DAY**

As we walked up the large steps of the church, I felt that same strange calming feeling wash over me as I got closer to the building. I always wondered why that happened, but I assumed it had a lot to do with that safe feeling I always had being here with Rose and Peter.

It was just...nice.

"Think we'll get struck by lightening?" Dean asked.

"Huh?" I mumbled distractedly, pealing my eyes off of the beautiful stained glass on the huge doors to look up at Dean. "What?"

"You know, lying in a church and all." Dean chuckled, a small smile on his face. I furrowed my brow, shaking my head at him.

"Just let me do the talking, okay?" I said, opening the large doors, breathing in that familiar clean scent.

We made our way through to the small office like room in the front, knocking lightly on the door. After hearing a few footsteps on the other side, an older looking man answered, a smile on his face.

"Oh, hello." He smiled, stepping out of the room. "I'm Father Reynolds. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm Victoria." I smiled, looking to the boys. "This is my husband Dean and his brother Sam. We just moved here and we're interested in joining a church."

"That's wonderful!" Father Reynolds exclaimed, moving past us towards the main church doors. "Come, let me show you around."

I made it a few feet with Sam before realizing that Dean hadn't followed and was practically frozen in place. I headed back over to him, looking up in concern.

"Are you okay?"

" _Husband_?" He croaked.

"Oh my god, Dean, yes. Husband." I rolled my eyes. "I had to."

"Why does that matter?"

"Most religious people would not really appreciate the fact that we do some of the things we do and aren't married." I said, shaking my head with a huff. "Calm down. We're not actually married. Or getting married."

"I know, I know-"

"Pull yourself together, dude." I muttered, shaking my head, letting out a small laugh. "Come on. Let's go."

I turned back around to head into the church where Sam and Father Reynolds were waiting for us, Dean at my side this time.

I knew how Dean was when it came to the whole marriage thing, and I laughed off his fear of commitment because I knew a piece of paper wouldn't change anything between us. That didn't matter. But I'd be lying if I said that sometimes, when he reacts that way, it gets to me.

"It's so nice to see some young faces wanting to join." Father Reynolds smiled as Dean walked over to my side, wrapping an arm around me. I could tell he knew I was a little hurt.

"Yeah, well, you know, we just don't feel right unless we hit church every Sunday." Dean smiled. I subtly smacked him in the back, shooting a small smile at Father Reynolds.

"Where'd you say you lived before?"

"Fremont, Texas." I said.

"Really? That's a nice town. St. Teresa's parish, you must know the priest there."

"Yeah. Father- oh, what was it again, sweetie?" I asked, looking up at Dean.

"Oh, uh-"

"Father Shaughnessy." Father Reynolds said.

"Right! That's it." I smiled. "But you know, we're just so happy to be here. I've heard so many good things."

"And we're happy to have you, we could use some young blood around here." Father Reynolds said, a happy tone to his voice. "Especially a young couple. It's been quite a while since we've had children here, providing you're planning on that."

I felt Dean stiffen next to me again, tensing up right away at the mention of children. I smiled at Father Reynolds, trying to compensate for Dean's reaction.

"Oh, eventually." I muttered dismissively. "But actually, that brings up a good question. How is the neighborhood?"

"Well, it's gone to seed a little, there's no denying that, but that's why what the church does here is so important. Like I always say, you can expect a miracle, but in the meantime you work your butt off."

"Huh. Yeah. We heard about the murders." Dean said abruptly.

"Yes." Father Reynolds nodded. "The victims were parishioners of mine, I'd known them for years."

"And the killers said that an angel made them do that?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Misguided souls, to think that God's messenger would appear and incite people to murder. It's tragic."

"So you don't believe in those angel yarns, huh?" Dean asked.

"Oh, no, I absolutely believe. Kind of goes with the job description." Father Reynolds chuckled, leading us through the church, showing us a few things along the way. As we went, I spotted a painting of an angel holding a flaming sword, knowing immediately who it was.

"That's a beautiful painting of Michael."

Father Reynolds nodded. "It is."

"My father had one just like it at his church."

"How nice." Father Reynolds smiled.

"Michael's an archangel, right?" Sam asked.

"He is. The archangel Michael, with the flaming sword. The fighter of demons. Holy force against evil." Father Reynolds said. A sudden feeling ran through me at the mention of demons – a pang of discomfort hit my heart, followed by a strange calm that I couldn't seem to shake.

"So they're not really the Hallmark card version that everybody thinks? They're fierce, right? Vigilant?" Sam pressed.

"Well, I like to think of them as more loving than wrathful. But, uh, yes, a lot of Scripture paints angels as God's warriors." Father Reynolds nodded. " _An angel of the Lord appeared to them, the glory of the Lord shone down upon them, and they were terrified._ "

" _Luke: Two nine_." I said, glancing up to see Dean shooting me a questioning look. I could see it in his eyes, he was thinking _how the hell did you know that_?

"You know your bible versus." Father Reynolds muttered.

"That's what I get for having a pastor as a father." I shrugged.

"Well, thank you for speaking with us Father." Sam said as we headed towards the doors.

"Oh, it' s my pleasure. Hope to see you again." Father Reynolds smiled, opening the doors for us.

We exited the church, making our way down the steps when Dean stopped, spotting a collection of items down at the bottom of the stairs. There were a few flowers lying there and in the middle sat a picture of a young, dark-haired man.

"Hey, Father, what's- what is all that for?" Dean asked.

"Oh, that's for Father Gregory. He was a priest here."

" _Was_?" Dean asked.

"He passed away right on these steps. He's interred in the church crypt." Father Reynolds muttered sadly.

"When did this happen?"

"Two months ago. He was shot for his car keys."

"I'm sorry." I said.

"Yeah, me too. He was a good friend. I didn't even have time to administer his last rites. But like I said, it's a tough neighborhood. Ever since he died I've been praying my heart out."

"For what?"

"For deliverance. From the violence and the bloodshed around here. We could use a little divine intervention, I suppose."

"Well, Padre, thanks. We'll see you again." Dean smiled, the three of us staying on the steps as Father Reynolds went inside.

"Well, it's all starting to make sense. Devoted priest dies a violent death? That's vengeful spirit material right there." Dean said. "And he knew all the other stiffs, because they went to church here, in fact I'm willing to bet that because he was their priest, he knew things about them that nobody else knew."

"Then again, Father Reynolds started praying for God's help about two months ago, right?" Sam said. "Right about the time all this started happening?"

"Aw, come on, man, what's your deal?" Dean asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I'll admit I'm a bit of a skeptic, but since when are you all Mr. _700 Club_? From the git-go you've been willing to buy this angel crap, man. I mean, what's next, are you going to start praying every day?

"I do." Sam muttered, looking up at Dean.

"You do?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, I do. I have for a long time."

"The things you learn about a guy." Dean mumbled. "Huh. Well, come on, let's go check out Father Gregory's grave."

* * *

 **CHURCH CRYPT – EVENING**

The crypt seemed to be a long, never-ending maze of stone hallways and what seemed like thousands of stone angel figurines scattered around.

Dean walked in front of me, leaving Sam to bring up the rear as we made our way through the dusty hallway. I followed Dean into one of the rooms, not realizing Sam wasn't with us until the ground started to shake underneath my feet.

"What is that?" I asked, turning around to see that Sam wasn't there. "Where's Sam?"

"We gotta get out of here." Dean said quickly, heading back in the direction Sam had been last. "Sam, come on, get the lead out."

We ran down the hallway, nearly missing Sam as he laid passed out on the floor in one of the rooms. Everything suddenly stopped shaking as we rushed over to his side, propping him up slightly

"Sam?" I called, trying to wake him up.

"Sammy? Sammy! Hey!" Dean called. Sam suddenly jerked away, groaning in pain as he stared over at the stone angel in the room.

"Sam, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay."

"Come on." Dean said, starting to pick Sam up. I helped him get him to his feet and we made our way out of the crypt, sitting him down on the grass. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Sam said, looking at Dean and I with wide eyes. "I saw an angel."

"You..." Dean paused, pulling out a flask, handing it to Sam. "Here."

"I don't want a drink." Sam said, batting the bottle away.

"Sam, what did you see?" I asked, kneeling in next of him.

"It just- it appeared before me and I just- this feeling washed over me, you know? Like- like peace. Like grace."

"Okay, Ecstasy Boy, maybe we'll get you some glowsticks and a nice Dr. Seuss hat, huh?" Dean commented, taking a swig from the flask.

"Dean, I'm serious. It spoke to me, it knew who I was."

"It's just a spirit, Sam. Okay? And it's not the first one to be able to read people's minds." Dean said, sitting down.

"What did- what did it say?" I asked, a part of me strangely starting to believe him.

"Let me guess. You were personally chosen to smite some sinner. You've just got to wait for some divine bat signal, is that it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, actually." Sam nodded.

"Great. I don't suppose you asked what this alleged bad guy did?"

"Actually I did, Dean. And the angel told me. He hasn't done anything. Yet. But he will."

"Oh, this is, this is . . . I don't believe this." Dean muttered, shaking his head as he started pacing.

"Dean, the angel hasn't been wrong yet! Someone's going to do something awful, and I can stop it!" Sam exclaimed.

"Calm down, Sam." I said, placing a hand on his arm.

"You know, you're supposed to be bad too, maybe- maybe I should just stop you right now."

"Dean." I hissed, glaring back at him.

"You know what, Dean? I don't understand! Why can't you even consider the possibility?"

"What, that this is an angel?" Dean scoffed.

"Yes! Maybe we're hunting an angel here, and we should stop! Maybe this is God's will!"

"Okay, all right. You know what? I get it. You've got faith. That's — hey, good for you. I'm sure it makes things easier." Dean said, taking a swig from his flask. "I'll tell you who else had faith like that — Mom. She used to tell me when she tucked me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me."

"She did?" I asked, taken a-back as that sentence rang in my ears. For some strange reason, I felt as through I'd heard that before, but I couldn't place where or who had said it.

"You never told me that." Sam said, a sad look in his eyes.

"Well, what's to tell? She was wrong. There was nothing protecting her." Dean said, glancing over at me. "There's no higher power, there's no God. I mean, there's just chaos, and violence, and random unpredictable evil th- that comes out of nowhere, and rips you to shreds."

"If there's evil, there has to be good too, Dean." I muttered.

"If there was, then why wasn't something protecting my Mom? Or yours?" Dean asked, tears in his eyes. He usually was never one to bring up my mother, no one did. I knew he wasn't saying that to be hurtful through, he truly meant it. I could tell by the tears, the tone of his voice.

My mother was a sore subject that I didn't like talking about, mostly because I knew nothing about her. I'd asked Peter and Rose about her a few times, but always got the same response. They didn't know where she was, but she loved me.

I always knew they were lying and that something...bad happened to her. I could just tell.

"Why wasn't something protecting any of us?" Dean finished.

"I don't-" I started, shaking my head. "I don't know."

"You want me to believe in this stuff? I'm going to need to see some hard proof. You got any?" Dean asked, looking between Sam and I as we stayed silent, not having an answer. "Well, I do. Proof that we're dealing with a spirit."

* * *

After everything was said and done, we made our way back into the crypt to Father Gregory's tombstone. I cleared some of the cobwebs off it it, my fingers running across some vines that covered it.

"That's-"

"Wormwood." Dean finished, glancing over at me. "A plant associated with the dead; specifically the ones that are not at rest. I don't see it growing anywhere else, except over the murdered priest's marker. It's him."

"Maybe." Sam mumbled, clearly not willing to buy it.

"Maybe?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dean, I don't know what to think."

"Okay, I have an idea." I said, standing upright.

"What?" Sam asked.

"We'll summon Gregory's spirit."

"Here?" Sam asked, his eyes wide. "In the church?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "We just need a few things. There's a séance ritual in John's journal."

"Oh, a séance. Great. Hope Whoopi's available." Sam deadpanned.

"That's funny, actually." Dean grumbled, looking up at me. "Seriously, it's a good idea. And it'll prove once and for all that this is a spirit."

" _If_ this is a spirit-"

"Oh, come on-"

"If it's him, then we'll put him to rest." I finished, shooting Dean a hard look.

"But if it's an angel, it won't show. Nothing will happen." Dean said.

"Either way, we'll know for sure."

* * *

 **STREET – NIGHT**

"Dude. I'll admit we've gone pretty ghetto with spellwork before, but this takes the cake." Sam smiled, reading the receipt from the store we'd just left. "I mean, a Spongebob placemat instead of an altar cloth?"

"We'll just put it Spongebob side down." Dean said. Sam laughed lightly, suddenly stopping abruptly, a look of shock crossing his face as he stared across the street. I followed his gaze to a young man holding a bunch of flowers making his way to a car.

"That's it." Sam muttered.

"What's it?" I asked.

"The sign!"

"Where?" Dean asked, looking around.

"Right there, right behind that guy! That's him, Dean. And we have to stop him." Sam said adamantly, moving towards the man as he crossed the street. Dean and I quickly moved to stop Sam, grabbing each of his arms to hold him back.

"Wait a minute."

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, trying to shrug out of our grasp. "Let me go."

"Sam, you're not going to kill anybody." I said, stepping in front of him. "Not because of a spirit and not because of an angel. You're not doing that."

"I'm not insane, I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to stop him."

"Define _stop_ , huh? I mean, what are you going to do?" Dean asked.

"Please, he's going to hurt someone, you know it.."

Dean glanced over at me for a second, thinking it over when he finally let go of Sam's arm. "Alight, come on."

The three of us ran over to the Impala as the man got in his car, pulling away. Dean got in the driver seat, immediately locking the doors. Sam looked confused, but I knew what Dean was doing, and I didn't like it.

"Dean. Unlock my door." Sam said.

"I can't do that, Sam."

"Dean, what if- what if that guy is dangerous? You are not going after him alone!" I said.

"Let us in." Sam ordered, getting frustrated.

"You're not killing anyone, Sam. I got this guy, you two go do the séance." Dean said, looking at me. "I'll be fine."

"Dean!" Sam yelled as Dean ignored him driving away after the man.

Once Dean was out of sight, I pulled on Sam's arm, nodding in the direction of the church. "We have to do this, Sam."

"It's not gonna work, Tori!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "I thought you believed me."

"Sam, I don't- I can't- I don't know!" I huffed. "Something's out there, but did that _something_ send a message to you and three other random people, I don't know! Now please, can we just go?"

Sam nodded, silently following me as we ran back over to the church – that thankfully, wasn't too far away.

* * *

 **CRYPT - NIGHT**

Once inside the crypt in front of Father Gregory's grave, I started lighting the few white candles, placing them in a small circle around a large black candle before picking up the journal.

"Here goes nothing." I sighed, taking a deep breath. " _Amate spiritus obscure. Te quaerimus, te oramus. Nobiscum colloquere aput nos circita._ "

I spoke quietly, summoning the spirit to come speak to us. If there was a spirit, that is.

"What are you doing!?" Father Reynolds voice echoed, startling us. "What is this?"

"Uh, Father, please. We can explain." Sam said, glancing down at me. I shot him a look, shaking my head as he turned back to the Father. "Um, actually, maybe we can't. Um. This is a- a séance."

"A séance? You are in the House of God."

"It's based on early Christian rites, if that helps any."

"Enough. You're coming with me." Father Reynolds said, grabbing Sam and I roughly by the arm, about to pull us out. I quickly grabbed some of the herbs, throwing them down on the black candle before I got too far away.

The candle flared and suddenly, there was a huge bright glow filling the room.

"Oh my god!" Father Reynolds paused, staring at it. "Is that- is that an angel?"

"No, it's not." Sam muttered in disappointment. "It's just Father Gregory."

The bright glow dimmed, revealing the young priest from the picture out front.

"Thomas?!" Father Reynolds exclaimed, shocked.

"I've come in answer to your prayers." Gregory said, looking to Sam. "Sam. I thought I sent you on your path. You should hurry."

"Father, I'm sorry. But you're not an angel." Sam said, disappointment clear in his voice.

"Of course I am."

"No. You're a spirit, and you need to rest." I said, stepping closer to him.

"I _was_ a man. But now I'm an angel. I was on the steps of the church. And I felt that bullet pierce right through me. But there was no pain. And suddenly I could see...everything." He said. "Father Reynolds, I saw you, praying and crying here. I came to help you."

"Help me how?" Father Reynolds asked. "Those murders — that was because of you?"

"I received the Word of God. He spoke to me, told me to smite the wicked. I'm carrying out his will."

"You're driving innocent people to kill."

"Those innocent people are being offered redemption. Some people need redemption. Don't they, Sam?" He asked pointedly. Sam looked away, what Father Gregory said clearly bothering him.

"How is that redemption?" I asked, not liking how he spoke to Sam.

Sam didn't need redemption. He hadn't done anything wrong, he won't.

"You can't understand it now. But the rules of man and the rules of God are two very different things."

"Those people, they're locked up. Never getting out. They'll never be free."

"No, they're happy. They've found peace, beaten their demons. And I've given them the keys to Heaven."

"You can't do that."

"How would you know, Victoria?" He asked, staring at me with a raise of an eyebrow.

"This is vengeance, it's wrong. Thomas, this goes against everything you believed. You're lost, misguided." Father Reynolds said.

"Father. No, I'm not misguided."

"You are not an angel, Thomas. Men cannot be angels."

"But- but I, I don't understand." Gregory muttered, confusion and realization setting it. "You prayed for me to come."

"I prayed for God's help. Not this. What you're doing is not God's will. _Thou shalt not kill._ That's the word of God."

"Just let us help you." I said, feeling for Father Gregory.

"No."

"It's time to rest, Thomas, to be at peace. Please, let me give you Last Rites." Father Reynolds said. Reluctantly, Gregory nodded, looking down as Father Reynolds lifted his hand in prayer. "Oh Holy Hosts above, I call upon thee as a servant of Christ to sanctify our actions this day, in fulfillment of the will of God."

Father Gregory's imaged flickered, causing Father Reynolds to gasp in shock for a moment before he continued. "Rest."

I made my way over to Sam's side, wrapping an arm through his as we stood there, watching Father Gregory kneel to the ground. Father Reynolds walked up slowly, a hand hovering over Gregory's forehead.

"I call upon the Archangel Raphael, Master of the Air, to make open the way. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit now descend, that this being might be awakened to the world beyond."

Father Gregory glowed brightly, vanishing with a whisper-like wind – and he was finally at rest.

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

After everything was over and done with, Sam and I made our way back to the motel to wait for Dean. As soon as we entered, Sam started packing, keeping quiet and to himself. I knew he was upset, so I didn't want to bother him by trying to talk about anything and helped him pack up in silence.

Not too long after, Dean came back, looking white as a ghost. He pulled out his flask, taking a long drink from it.

"Are you okay?" I asked instantly, going over to him. He barely even nodded, handing the flask to me. I took it, staring down at the bottle for a moment before taking a swig. Because honestly, I needed liquor right now.

"You were right. It wasn't an angel. It was Gregory." Sam muttered. "I don't know, Dean, I just, uh- I wanted to believe ... so badly, ah ... It's so damn hard to do this, what we do. It's like- you're just alone, you know? There's so much evil out there in the world, Dean, I feel like I could drown in it. And when I think about my destiny, when I think about how I could end up-"

Sam shook his head, sitting down at the foot of the bed. I sat by him, followed by Dean, who sat on my other side.

"Sam, you're never alone." I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, don't worry about that, alright? We're watching out for you." Dean said.

"Yeah, I know you are. But you're just two people. And I needed to think that there was something else, watching too, you know? Some higher power. Some greater good. And that maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe I could be saved." Sam laughed nervously. "But, uh, you know, that just clouded my judgment, and you're right. I mean, we've gotta go with what we know, with what we can see, with what's right there in front of our own two eyes."

"Yeah, well, it's funny you say that." Dean said, pulling the flask out of my hand to take another drink.

"Why?"

"Gregory's spirit gave you some pretty good information. That guy in the car was bad news. I barely got there in time."

"What happened?" I asked.

"He's dead." Dean replied.

"Did- did you?" I asked nervously.

"No. But I'll tell you one thing. If the way he died- if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I never would have believed it. I mean...I don't know what to call it."

"What? Dean, what did you see?"

"Maybe...God's will." Dean muttered, staring down at the floor.

* * *

We had decided to stay here for one more night to get some rest after the long day we had instead of heading out now. Sam was sleeping quietly, tossing and turning every so often. Dean slept next to me on his stomach, his arm draped over mine as I laid staring up at the ceiling.

I had to admit, I was a little disappointed with the outcome of today.

Even though I knew it couldn't have been an angel, I guess there was still that part of me deep down that wanted it to be. That part of me that was still a young girl sitting in a church, hoping with everything in her that God was real. That angels were real. That all of it was as amazing as it seemed.

Most things don't turn out how you really want them to, though.

But still, after everything, there was that part of me that had to believe that angels were real. That they were watching over us...

Even though it felt like it a lot of the time, we couldn't be completely alone in all this, could we?

* * *

 ** _Sorry this chapter is a little short, but I hope you liked it regardless._**

 ** _As always, thanks for reading!_**

 ** _Twitter: phoenixfire79_**

 ** _Instagram: phoenixfirefanfiction_**


	14. Born Under A Bad Sign

_Mayday, mayday  
The ship is slowly sinking  
They think I'm crazy, but they don't know the feeling  
They're all around me circling like vultures  
They wanna break me and wash away my colors  
Wash away my colors  
…_

 _I cannot stop this sickness taking over  
It takes control and drags me into nowhere  
I need your help, I can't fight this forever  
I know you're watching, I can feel you out there  
…_

 _Take me over, no walls below  
Fight forever, don't let me go  
I need a savior to heal my pain  
When I become my worst enemy  
The enemy_

 _Take me high and I'll sing_  
 _You make everything okay_  
 _We are one in the same_  
 _You take all of the pain away_

 _Take me high and I'll sing_  
 _You make everything okay_  
 _Okay, okay_  
 _We are one in the same_  
 _You take all of the pain away_  
 _Away, away_  
 _Save me if I become_  
 _My demons_

 **Starset – My Demons**

* * *

In reality, it had only been a week. And to most people, a week was nothing. Just more time passing by in their lives. But to Dean and I, this week was torture. Possibly the longest week of our lives.

Because this past week had been filled with nothing but worrying and looking for Sam, who had practically disappeared, leaving us with no way to find him.

Not even a phone call. That just wasn't like him.

Dean stood next to me, leaning against the car as he fidgeted with his phone before flipping it open, dialing what I could only assume was Ellen's number again.

"Ellen, it's me again. Any chance you've heard from him?" He asked, waiting for her response. "I swear, it's like looking for my dad all over again. I'm losing my mind here. I've called him a thousand times, there's nothing but voicemail. I don't know where he went, or why. Sam's just gone."

My heart lept as I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I quickly fished it out, seeing Sam's name flash across the screen.

"Dean!" I called, nudging him. He looked down at the phone, tears practically welling in his eyes as he told Ellen he had to go. I answered the phone, hearing heavy breathing on the other end. "Sam, are you okay?"

" _Tori, I- I- I don't know- I don't know what's wh-_ "

"Where are you?"

" _I don't-_ " He started, shuffling around for a moment before reading off an address of a motel.

"Okay. Calm down." I told him, hearing his panicked breathing on the other end. "Don't move, we're on our way." Dean and I quickly got into the car as I stayed on the phone with Sam, trying to calm him down.

"Sam we're not that far." I told him. "Relax."

" _It's so bad Tori..._ "

"What's bad, Sam?" I asked, fear washing over me.

" _I'm- I don't know-_ "

"Is he okay?" Dean asked, looking over at me with scared eyes.

"I don't know." I said, trying to stop all the horrible scenarios running through my head.

Thankfully the motel Sam was at was only a couple hours away from where Dean and I had been, and though I felt like we should have been able to find him considering he was so close, I stopped mentally scolding myself and concentrated on trying to calm down Sam.

His breathing was almost normal now, but there was just something so off about him – the tone of his voice. I couldn't wait until we got there to see what was actually going on.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

I stayed on the phone with Sam until Dean and I got in front of the motel, parking the car before quickly rushing inside. We ignored the manager as he called out to us, running to room 109.

"Sam, it's us! Sam!" Dean called, knocking frantically on the door.

After there was no response, I quickly reached around him, jiggling the door knob. It was unlocked, so I pushed the door open, heading inside to find Sam, sitting numbly on one of the beds, staring down. As soon as I entered the room, I felt a wave of nausea hit me like a punch to the gut and I almost couldn't breathe. I held my stomach, trying to keep from getting sick as bile rose up in my throat.

"Are you bleeding?" Dean asked cautiously, quickly running over to Sam, kneeling next to him.

Those words immediately snapped me out of whatever trance I was in and my eyes focused on Sam, noticing all the blood on his knuckles and shirt.

"I tried to wash it off." Sam mumbled, his voice forlorn. I went over to his other side, quickly inspecting him for a wound. There was nothing.

This wasn't his blood.

"I don't think it's my blood." Sam uttered, mirroring my own thoughts.

"Whose is it?" Dean asked.

"I don't know."

"Sam, what the hell happened?"

"I don't remember anything." Sam said, finally looking up at Dean and I with dead eyes. I felt a chill run down my spine, knowing something about all of this was so wrong.

I just didn't know what.

* * *

After a little bit of time, Dean went out to get some things from the store while I encouraged Sam to take a shower and change out of his blood stained clothes.

While Sam was in the bathroom, I sat on one of the beds, staring at the ground. Realizing I was pretty much alone for once. The damn that I had built to hold in all my emotions finally broke and the tears fell from my eyes.

Everything that was happening, it was too much. It was all just too much.

Is the torture ever going to end? Would we ever get a fucking break? I considered myself a strong person, but when it's just one thing after another – god, it's so tiring.

I heard the click of the door and quickly wiped away my tears, going back to shoving Sam's blood covered shirt in a trash bag. I tried to hide my face from Dean, subtly wiping my cheek on my sleeve when he wasn't looking as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

"How'd it go?"

"Fine." Dean mumbled, looking up at the bathroom door. "He okay?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Shit."

"What the fuck happened, Dean?"

"I have no idea." He mumbled, staring at me for a moment. "What about you?"

"What about me?" I asked, furrowing my brow, trying to play it off.

Just then, the bathroom door cracked open, and Sam walked out in fresh clothes, his wet hair still hanging around his face. He didn't look a hundred percent, but he definitely looked like he felt a lot better. He shot me a weird, knowing look, but I ignored him, going back to tying a knot in the bag.

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked Dean, going to sit on the edge of the bed.

"You checked in two days ago under the name Richard Sambora." Dean said. "Of course, I think the scariest part about this whole thing is the fact that you're a Bon Jovi fan-"

"Dean." I muttered, shaking my head at his attempt of a joke.

"Your room's been quiet, nobody's noticed anything unusual."

"You mean no one saw me walking around covered in blood?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. That's what I mean."

"Then how the hell did I get here, Dean? What happened to me?"

"I don't know. But you're- you're okay, and that's what matters. Everything else we can deal with."

"Oh really? 'Cause what if I hurt someone? Or worse?"

"Sam..."

"What if this is what Dad warned you about?" Sam asked.

"Sam don't jump to conclusions." I told him. "We have no idea what happened here."

"Yeah, we've just got to treat this like- like any other job." Dean said. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Just me and you, guys in that motel room in West Texas, going out to grab some burgers, and-"

"West Texas?" Dean asked, shooting me a look before retuning his eyes to his brother. "That was over a week ago."

"That's it." Sam shrugged. "Next thing I knew I was sitting here. Bloody. Felt like I'd been asleep for a month."

"Okay. Retrace your steps. The manager said you left yesterday afternoon and he never saw you come back, so-" Dean paused noticing a bloody fingerprint on the window. "Hey."

"I left through the window?" Sam asked, walking up behind Dean and I. My stomach turned as I stood there, staring down at the fingerprint.

"Seems like it." Dean shrugged. "Let's check outside."

* * *

"Recognize anything?" Dean asked, looking up at his brother as a cold gust of wind blew around us. I wrapped my arms around myself, an uncomfortable feeling washing over me.

"Not really." Sam muttered as we walked around the back of the building towards the parking garage. "Wait."

"What?"

"I think I was here."

"You remember?" I asked.

"Not really, it just...feels familiar, you know?" Sam asked, looking over to us before looking between the two parking garages, pointing to one. "Try that one, yeah."

"Okay." Dean nodded, tugging on the padlock there.

"Wait." Sam said, digging in his pocket for a moment, he pulled out a key, handing it to Dean.

Dean opened the padlock with the key, pulling the garage door open to reveal an old beat-up Volkswagen Beetle

"Oh, please tell me you didn't steal _this_." Dean commented as we made our way into the garage, looking around the outside of the car for a moment before getting in.

Sam sat in the driver seat, touching the steering wheel with a grimace before holding his hand up for us to see blood on it.

"More blood." Sam muttered. I shifted slightly in the backseat, feeling my foot hit something. My eyes went wide when I saw that it was a blood covered knife. It stuck to the floor slightly when I picked it up, the sticky blood clinging to the fabric. I held it up for the boys to see.

"You think I used that on someone?" Sam asked, looking up at me.

"I-"

"We're not thinking anything." Dean said quickly, spotting a pack of cigarettes in one of the cup holders. "Okay now this is disturbing. Come on, man, this couldn't have been you. Had to have been someone else, somebody who smokes menthols."

"Here. Gas receipt." Sam said, holding a piece of paper. "Few towns over."

* * *

 **GAS STATION – DAY**

"Alright. Receipt's for ten gallons at pump number two. You getting any, uh, any goosebumps yet? Any, ' _God, this looks familiar_ , deja vu vibes?" Dean asked as we pulled up in front of a small gas station store.

"No." Sam muttered.

"Well maybe someone inside will remember." I said, ignoring my nausea as I patted Sam on the shoulder. "Let's go."

The bell on top of the door jingled at we walked through, gaining the attention of the clerk, who looked up at Sam with a mixture of disgust, fear and anger.

"You. Outta here now, I'm calling the cops."

"You talking to him?" Dean asked, pointing back to Sam.

"Yeah, I'm talking to him. Jerk comes in yesterday, stinking drunk, grabs a forty from the fridge, starts chugging."

"Him?" I asked, pointing to Sam in disbelief. The cashier looked at me like I was stupid, nodding.

"You're drinking malt liquor?" Dean asked, Sam, who just shook his head.

"Not after he whipped the friggin' bottle at my head." The man said.

" _This_ guy?" Dean asked again.

"What, am I speaking _Urdu_?" The cashier snapped.

"Look, I'm really sorry if I did anything-" Sam started.

"Tell your story walkin', pal. Po-po will be here in five." He said, picking up the phone.

"Wait, wait, put the phone down." Dean said, looking back to Sam. "Go wait in the car."

"But Dean-"

"Go wait in the car!" Dean repeated. Sam sighed as I gently pushed him outside. It was strange, but it was almost as if when Sam left, my nausea went with him. Though part of me was screaming not to, I ignored it, returning to Dean's side.

"Okay, look, man. I just want to talk to you, that's it." Dean said. "Okay? Now, when he took off yesterday, which way did he go?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

"'Cause we're asking you." I snapped, getting irritated with the man. Dean shot me a confused look, probably wondering why I was getting so snippy all the sudden. My emotions were all over the place.

"Please, you'd be doing us a huge favor." Dean said.

"Oh, do you a favor? Well, that is what I live for. You know, your buddy didn't pay for the booze. Okay? Or the smokes, which he also illegally lit up."

"You saw him smoking?" I asked.

"Yeah. Guy's a chimney." The cashier said. Dean cleared his throat, pulling out a few bills from his wallet, placing them on the counter.

"This, uh, ought to cover it."

"Oh, it's, uh, it's coming back to me now. He took two packs." The cashier muttered slyly.

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms as Dean sighed, pulling out more money. "Of course he did."

"He went north. Route 71, straight out of town."

Dean nodded, grabbing a couple candy bars before leaving with a smirk. I watched the guy star at him, his mouth hanging open slightly as I left, following Dean to the car.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

"What's going on with you, Sam?" Dean asked, taking his eyes off the dark road in front of us for a moment to look at Sam, who was staring out the window. "'Cause smoking, throwing bottles at people, I mean, that sounds more like me than you."

"Dean, wait, right here." Sam said, suddenly, sitting upright. "Turn down that road."

"What?"

"I don't know how I know, I just do."

Dean turned the Impala down a dark back road that apparently lead to a large private property, a huge house settled in the middle of the field. The Impala pulled up a few feet from the house, and the three of us got out.

As we got closer to the home, I noticed a bunch of emergency lights and security camera's set up all over the place.

"Whoever lives here, I'd say they don't like surprises." I murmured.

"Should we knock?" Dean asked as we walked up to the front door.

"Yeah. I guess." Sam shrugged. I looked around the corner as Dean knocked on the door, noticing that a one of the large windows was broken, the ledge underneath covered in shattered glass.

"Guys." I called, nodding over to the window. The three of us climbed inside, finding a few shelves knocked over their condense spilled everywhere.

"I'm surprised the cops didn't show. Place like this you'd think it'd have an alarm." Dean said.

"Yeah, you would." Sam muttered, pointing to an already disabled alarm system on the wall.

We made our way through the house, stopping in a few rooms along the way. The closer we got to the room at the back of the hallway, the more I could smell the strong scent of blood.

"Do you smell that?" I asked, looking up at the boys.

"What?" Dean asked, sniffing the air. He grimaced when he caught the smell, shaking his head.

"It's coming from in here." I said, entering the back room, turning on the light to see a body in the middle of the floor, blood pooled around the man's head.

Dean knelt down beside the body, turning it over. The three of us gasped in shock at the deep slit in the middle-aged man's throat, blood covering his chest.

"I did this." Sam mumbled, a horrified look in his eyes.

"We don't know that." Dean said.

"What else do you need? I mean, how else do you explain the car, the knife, the blood!"

"I don't know, man, why don't you tell me?!" Dean yelled back.

"Why don't we all just calm down here, okay?" I asked, making my way over to the boys as my stomach turned. "We- we just have to calm down."

"Even if you did do this I'm sure you had a reason, you know; self-defense, uh, he was, he was a bad son of a bitch...something!" Dean exclaimed, patting the body down, finding nothing. "He doesn't have any ID."

"I need your lockpick."

"What?"

"I need your lockpick." Sam repeated, holding his hand out to Dean.

Once he had the lockpick he went over to a set of double-doors in the room, opening them to reveal a smaller room, one wall lined with guns and weapons and the others covered in charts and news paper clippings.

"Holy shit." Dean muttered. "Either this guy's a Unabomber-"

"Or a hunter." I finished.

"I think I killed a hunter." Sam said.

"Let's find out." Dean suggested, pointing to a security camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling.

* * *

Sam sat at the desk in front of the computer, Dean and I on either side of him as we watched the screen.

"Here we go." Sam muttered, playing the footage.

We watched as Sam fought with the man, landing a few punches, knocking him to the ground out of frame. Almost as if he knew exactly where the camera was, Sam pulled the man back, punching him a few more times in the face before grabbing the back of his head, forcing his knees to the floor. Sam puled out a knife, slitting the man's throat, letting him drop to the ground.

I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Sam – murdering somebody in cold blood.

"How do you erase this?" Dean asked, frantically, looking around the computer, then back at Sam, who seemed just as frozen as I was. "Sam, come on, I need your help." When Sam didn't reply, Dean looked to me, his eyes pleading. "Tori, come on!"

I thought I was going to be sick, I couldn't even think straight.

"I killed him. I just broke in and killed him." Sam muttered, his voice breaking.

"Listen to me. Whoever this guy is, he's a hunter. Which means that other hunters are going to come looking for his killer, which means we've got to cover our tracks, okay?" Dean said.

"His name was Steve Wandell. This is a letter from his daughter." Sam muttered, tapping a letter on the desk, looking back down. "I can't believe I-"

Sam wouldn't do that. Never.

Not unless…

No...

Suddenly, my train of thought was broken by a loud crash and I looked up to see Dean stomping on the computer, breaking it to pieces, before tossing a rag to Sam.

"Wipe your prints, then we go."

* * *

 **MOTEL ROOM – EVENING**

The whole way back, I kept quiet, feeling almost like I couldn't speak. I knew I had to though. At some point I had to express what I was feeling, what I was thinking. I just had to find the right time.

Though there really didn't seem to be one.

"Alright, we get a couple hours sleep and then we put this place in our rearview mirror." Dean said, shutting the door behind us. "Look, I know this is bad, okay? You gotta snap out of it. Somebody, say something!" he shouted.

" _Just get some sleep and leave in the morning_? Murder, Dean. That's what I did." Sam said.

"Maybe." Dean said. Sam scoffed, shaking his head. "Okay? Hey, we don't know... shapeshifter!"

"Oh, come on. You know it wasn't, you saw the tape. There was no eye flare, no distortion-"

"Yeah, but it wasn't you! Alright? I mean, yeah, it might have been you, but it wasn't you." Dean said, looking up at me for some kind of help. I still couldn't make myself speak.

"Well, I think it was." Sam sighed, sitting on the bed. "I think maybe more than you know."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean asked, sitting on the other bed.

"For the last few weeks I've been having…I've been having these feelings."

"What feelings?" Dean asked.

"Rage. Hate. And I can't stop it. It just gets worse. Day by day, it gets worse."

"You never told us that."

"I didn't want to scare you."

"Well, bang-up job on that."

"Dean, the yellow-eyed demon, you know he has plans for me. And we both know that he's turned other children into killers before, too."

I stayed quiet staring straight ahead as vision of black and yellow eyes started passing through my head. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to get them to go away, trying to make the nausea go away.

"No one can control you but you." Dean said.

"It sure doesn't seem like that, Dean, it feels like no matter what I do, slowly but surely I'm- I'm just becoming..."

"What?"

"I'm meant to be. I mean, you said it once yourself, Dean. I gotta face up to who I am."

"I didn't mean this!" Dean exclaimed.

"But it's still true. You know that. Dad knew that too. That's why he told you, if it ever came to this..."

"Shut up, Sam." Dean hissed.

"Dean, you promised him. You promised me."

"No. Listen to me. We're gonna figure this out. Okay? I mean, there's gotta be a way, right?"

"Yeah there is." Sam said, I heard shuffling and opened my eyes, seeing Sam shove a gun in Dean's hands. "I don't wanna hurt anyone else. I don't wanna hurt you."

"What the fuck, Sam?" I snapped, taking a few steps forward.

"You won't. Whatever this is, you can fight it." Dean said, his voice shaking as he stared down at the gun.

"No. I can't. Not forever. You gotta do it." Sam said, shaking slightly.

"You know, I've tried to hard to keep you safe." Dean said.

"I know."

"I can't. I'd rather die." Dean said, setting the gun down as he stood.

"No. You'll live." Sam muttered, picking up the gun as Dean turned to face him.

The fear that had been in the back of my head pushed to the forefront and I allowed myself to fully realize what was really happening here.

And in a split second, everything went to hell.

"You'll live to regret this." Sam said sinisterly, hitting Dean over the head with the butt of the gun.

"Sam!" I called, watching in horror as Dean fell unconscious to the round.

"Not Sam." He smiled, walking towards me, the gun pointed at me. "But you knew that all along, huh?"

"Sam, please-" I called, feeling the familiarity of this situation weight heavy in my heart. "I know you can hear me, Sam. You're gonna be okay. You'll be okay."

"I don't know about that, angel." _Sam_ muttered, chuckling darkly. And before I knew it, everything went black.

* * *

An insistent knocking sounded in my head as it pounded harshly, my eyes slowly fluttered open, seeing Dean lying across from me on the floor, I slowly made my way over to him, seeing his eyes starting to open.

"Oh, my god, Dean. You're okay." I said, relief flooding through me.

"What-" Dean started, looking around. "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know." I muttered, feeling tears spring up in my eyes. "Dean he's-"

Just then, the knocking got louder, stopping me from speaking. A heavyset man opened the motel door, shooting us a strange look on the floor.

"Hey. It's past your checkout."

"What?" Dean asked, groggy as he stood to his feet, helping me up along the way.

"It's past checkout, and I've got a couple here needs your room." He said, nodding back to an embarrassed looking man in a suit and a woman in a short skirt and tight top.

"Oh, Jesus." I mumbled.

"Yeah, I'll bet they do." Dean commented. "What time is it?"

"Twelve-thirty."

"That guy who was with us, have you seen him?"

"Yeah, he left before dawn in your car, and you should have gone with him, because now I'm gonna have to charge you extra."

"Oh, son of a-"

"It's just policy, sir."

"It's not that." I told him.

"We need to use your computer." Dean said urgently.

"Now, why would I let you use my computer?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow. I made my way over to one of the bags fishing through it to find the stash of extra money we kept there, handing him some of it.

* * *

Before I knew it, Dean and I were in front of the computer as the man sat next to us, counting his money. I held the phone up to my ear as I rang, waiting for an answer.

"Hello?" A woman's voice sounded through the receiver.

"Hi. My son snuck out of the house last night and went to a- a-"

"Justin Timberlake concert." Dean whispered.

"What?" I asked. My brow furrowed, starting blankly at him for a moment in shock.

"What? It's good enough!" He said, gesturing for me to continue.

"He went to a...Justin Timberlake concert." I told her.

" _Oh, I love him!_ " She exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's quite the...triple threat." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, he's not back yet and I haven't heard from him and I'm just starting to worry."

" _Well, boys will be boys._ "

"Oh, yeah, sure. But see, Sam is uh- diabetic. And if he doesn't get is insulin, well..I just have to find him." I said.

" _Okay, okay. Well, you have to go to our website._ "

"I'm there right now." I told her, putting in the password the woman gave me, pulling up the GPS on Sam's phone. "Yeah, right there. Duluth, Minnesota."

" _That's a long way to go for a concert._ " She mumbled. " _I didn't even know Justin was tour-_ "

"Okay, thank you for you help." I interrupted, hanging up the phone.

"Gotcha Sammy." Dean smiled, exiting out of the page. "Let's go."

* * *

 **IMPALA – NIGHT**

As the Impala drove down a long stretch of dark road, I got that same feeling in my stomach. That uncomfortable pit that just sad there like a load of bricks.

"Dean, I have to tell you something." I muttered. "I should have told you before."

"What?" he asked, glancing over at me.

"Before, when we were with Sam- I- I felt that- that _feeling_."

"What feeling?"

"That...nauseous one."

"What, your demon sense?"

"Yes." I huffed. "Around Sam."

"What are you saying?" Dean asked, looking wary of my answer

"Sam he- I think Sam's...possessed." I muttered, barely above a whisper as the reality of what I'd just said set in for the both of us.

* * *

 **Duluth, Minnesota  
BAR – NIGHT **

The rest of the drive was filled with silence, the words I'd spoken hanging over us like a heavy cloud. Neither one of us really knew how to process it, and I knew Dean was doing all he could to stop himself from getting too angry too quickly.

If there was one thing we had to make absolutely sure of, it was that Sam got out of this unharmed.

A feeling of dread washed over me as we walked up to the bar. From the outside, it looked normal, but after seeing that hunter's security footage...I couldn't imagine what was going on in there.

Dean stood in front of me, his gun out as he kicked open the doors. I kept my gun low to my side, watching as Sam grabbed a knife, standing behind Jo, who was tied to a pillar, holding the knife against her throat.

"Jo?" I asked, shocked to see here there. She shot me a grimace, looking up to the ceiling as her breathing quickened.

"I begged you to stop me, Dean." Sam cried.

"Put the knife down!" I yelled, seeing the terrified look on Jo's face. "You're strong enough to fight this, Sam."

"I told you I can't fight it!"

"No! I know you can!" I shouted. "You can fight this, Sam. No demon will ever be stronger than you are!"

 _Sam_ paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes at me before looking to Dean, pressing the knife tighter to Jo's throat. "Kill me, or I'm going to kill her. Please. You'd be doing me a favor! Shoot me. Shoot me!"

"Sammy, come on. Please." Dean said, lowering his gun.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Dean? Are you that scared that you'd rather let Jo die?" Sam asked, his voice turning more sinister with every word. Suddenly, Dean turned, flinging holy water from a flask at Sam. His skin sizzled on contact and he yelped in pain.

"That's holy water, you demonic son of a bitch!"

Sam raised his head, opening his eyes to reveal pitch black ones. I shrunk back at the sight, feeling my heart break into pieces. Dean seemed slightly stunned, but reacted quickly, throwing more holy water at him. Sam let out a growl, jumping through a window, fleeing the bar.

Dean ran towards the window, looking back worriedly at Jo and I. "Go, I got her."

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"Please, be careful." I called as he left. "I'll catch up!"

"Sam was possessed?!" Jo asked.

"Yes." I muttered, my voice shaking.

"Oh my god."

"Tell me about it." I mumbled, cutting her lose.

"Go." Jo said, rubbing her wrists where the rope had been cutting in slightly.

"What?"

"I'm fine, go after them!" She said, pushing me towards the door. I quickly ran out, heading over to a dock.

I could see a faint outline of Dean in the distance and then suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air – and Dean fell into the water. I covered my mouth with my hand, my heart dropping as I watched _Sam_ move over to the edge of the water, peering in before walking away, his stride confident.

I hid behind a large warehouse, waiting for Sam to leave. I just hoped he wouldn't go back for Jo. I wanted desperately to go check on Dean, but I had to wait until I knew Sam was gone. I was no good to Dean if I was dead.

A few moments later, I heard the sound of an engine and a car pulling away. I peered around the warehouse to see the Beetle speeding off and wasted no time, bolting towards the lake.

"Jo!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I pushed myself to run faster than I thought my feet could ever carry me.

Jo heard my frantic cries, barely matching my stride as she ran behind me. "What's wrong?"

"Dean!" I said, half telling her, half trying to call him...even though I feared the worst.

Once Jo and I made it to the water, I didn't even think, quickly jumping in. I barely registered Jo telling me not to, but I ignored that. After looking for what felt like forever, I finally found Dean lying up on a bank. I rushed over to his side, turning him on his back. I placed a finger to his neck, my heart soaring when I felt a pulse there.

"Jo, he's over here!" I called.

Jo made her way over, helping me get Dean higher up on the bank. I inspected him for the bullet hole, finding one in his shoulder. Suddenly, Dean started coughing, spitting up water as I propped him up on my lap.

"Oh, thank god." I sighed in relief.

"What- where's Sam?"

"He's gone. I don't know."

"Shit." Dean spat, attempting to get up. I held him down, shaking my head.

"Dean, no. We'll get Sam, but we have to get you patched up first."

"Let's get him inside." Jo said, helping me get Dean to his feet.

Dean glanced down at me, noticing something. "Why are you wet?"

"She jumped in freezing cold water like a crazy person to find you." Jo muttered.

Dean shot me a small smile, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

* * *

 **BAR – NIGHT**

Once Jo and I had gotten Dean safely back inside, we guided him over to the bar. I checked his wound, seeing that the bullet was still lodged there.

"Uh-oh." I mumbled, looking up at him.

" _Uh-oh_?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

"Means I have to do some digging." I grimaced.

I made my way around the bar, grabbing a bottle of whiskey, opening it and setting it down in front of Dean. Jo got some vodka, placing it into a large bowl, grabbing a rag from under the bar. I went back around to Dean's side, pulling out my switchblade.

"Shit." Dean grumbled, taking a gulp of whiskey before ripping his shirt off, bracing himself. "Alright, go."

"Are you sure?" I asked, watching him closely when I noticed Jo staring suggestively at his chest. I snapped my fingers in front of her face, narrowing my eyes at her. "Jo."

"Sorry." She mumbled, clearly not sorry at all.

Dean took another swig of whiskey, nodding once more for me to go ahead. I took the rag dipped in vodka, pressing it on the wound. Once I cleaned it out, I took a deep breath and pressed the knife into his wound, hearing him hiss in pain as I tried to pry the bullet out.

"Don't be a baby!" Jo scolded, punching Dean on the other shoulder. He glared at her, gritting his teeth as I pushed the knife deeper.

"Shut up, Jo." I snapped, squinting in the dim light of the bar. "I almost got it."

"Okay." Dean mumbled through clenched teeth. With one final dig, I finally got the bullet out.

"Got it." I sighed, dropping it into the bowl next to me. Dean took a few more swigs from the whiskey, shutting his eyes for a moment. "You okay?"

"Just peachy." He replied sarcastically.

"That's what I like to hear." I smiled, smoothing some of his hair back.

"We done?"

"No, not yet."

"What now?"

"I have to patch this up or you'll bleed to death." I said, silently telling him to not be so impatient. Jo unwrapped some gauze, handing them to me.

"Can I ask a question?" Jo asked, leaning down on the bar.

"Even if I told you no, you'd still ask." I mumbled, placing a strip of tape over the gauze to keep it in place.

"Damn right." She grinned. "How did you know? That Sam was possessed?"

"Oh, uh..." I started, silently searching for a reason. I knew Jo wasn't a threat, but was it a good idea to tell her about my- whatever it was I had...

"We just knew that it couldn't have been him." Dean said.

"Huh." She mumbled, looking down for a moment. "So...I know demons lie, but...do they ever tell the truth too?"

"Sometimes, I guess. Especially if they know it'll mess with your head." Dean said, taking another drink.

"Why?" I asked, seeing a vulnerable look in her eyes before she looked away, covering it up.

"Nothing. Doesn't matter. So do you have any idea where he's headed to next?"

"Well, so far he's been going after the nearest hunter, so...closest one I know lives in South Dakota." Dean said, glancing up at me with cautious eyes.

The breath caught in my throat as his words sunk in. I didn't even think of that.

"We have to go." I said immediately.

"Alright, let's go." Jo said, standing upright.

"You're not coming."

"The hell I'm not. I'm a part of this now."

"Jo, it's too dangerous. If he already came here once planning to kill you- we can't take that chance." I told her.

"But-"

"I swear, if you try to follow us, I'll tie you right back to that post and leave you here." I threatened.

"I'd like to see you try." She challenged, crossing her arms.

"Jo, we don't know what's gonna happen here." I said. "No matter what's going on right now, your Mom needs you. It's too dangerous."

Jo looked into my eyes for a moment, her own starting to tear up as she nodded her head slowly. "Okay."

"Good."

"But here, take this." She said, handing me a bottle of pills, nodding to Dean. "For the pain."

"Thanks." Dean said.

"Yeah."

"I'll call you later, okay?" I said, shooting her a small smile as Dean and I started to leave.

"You better." I heard Jo call out as we excited the bar.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

The rain poured down around the Impala as I clutched the wheel tight in my hands, trying to keep my thoughts together so I wouldn't wreck the car. Neither one of us were in any kind of good shape to drive right now, but at least I didn't just have a bullet dug out of my arm.

"You know, you and Jo, you're really cute together." Dean muttered, trying to joke around, as always.

"Oh, please Dean, now's not the time to talk about your weird fantasies." I muttered, barely even looking at him.

"I didn't mean it that way!"

"Oh, sure-"

"I didn't." Dean argued. "You treat her, you know, like a sister. It's cute."

"What? I hate her guts." I said, glancing over at him to see a humerus look in his eyes.

"Yeah." He said like it was obvious. I rolled my eyes, reaching for my ringing phone. I barely glanced down at the screen, hoping that it would be Bobby.

"Hello?"

" _Hey, is everything alright?_ " Bobby asked. " _There were a shit ton of missed calls-_ "

A dial tone sounded through the phone and I quickly threw it down, pressing my foot harder on the gas.

"What happened?" Dean asked worriedly, seeing the look on my face.

"Line was cut."

* * *

 **SINGER HOUSE – NIGHT**

As we pulled up in front of the house, I spotted the beat up Beetle sitting there and my heart sunk, a sick feeling coming over me. I threw the car in park, Dean and I quickly jumped out, making our way up to the steps. I listened in closely, not hearing any activity on the other side of the door.

What if he was already…

No, I can't even think about that.

"How are we gonna do this?" I asked quietly.

"Just...go in?" Dean said, through it sounded more like a question. He gently pushed me behind him, kicking the door open in one swift motion. I heard a gun cock followed by footsteps moving towards the entrance and quickly pulled out my own gun, along with Dean.

We breathed an audible sigh of relief when we saw each other, all of the visibly relaxing.

"What the hell's wrong with you boy? Kickin' in doors." Bobby scolded, leading us inside as we all lowered our guns.

"I thought-"

"We thought something happened." I said, putting my gun away before giving Bobby a small hug. I felt him hug me back for a moment before taking a step back, that same uncomfortable, yet happy look in his eyes that he got whenever I hugged him.

"Sam's here, right?" Dean asked.

"Follow me." Bobby muttered, leading us into his study where Sam sat, knocked out cold and tied to a chair in the middle of the room underneath the same devil's trap that we'd painted on the ceiling a few months back to trap Meg.

"How did you-"

"Holy water in the beer." Bobby said, leaning against the desk. "Don't try to con a con man."

"How long has he been here?" Dean asked.

"Didn't show up too long before you two." Bobby muttered, picking up a large bucket of what I assumed to be holy water, placing it on the desk.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked, leaning back on the desk next to Bobby, feeling my stomach flop around. Without a word, Dean went in front of his brother, smacking him hard in the face to wake him up. "That's one way."

"Hey." Dean called.

"Dean. Back from the dead. Getting to be a regular thing for you, isn't it? Like a cockroach." Sam hissed.

"How about I smack that smartass right out of your mouth?"

"Oh, careful, now. Wouldn't want to bruise this fine packaging."

"Oh don't worry, this isn't gonna hurt Sam much." Dean said, picking up the bucket. "You, on the other hand…" In one swift motion, Dean dumped the holy water on Sam. He roared out in pain as his skin sizzled, the vapors coming off of him in waves. "Feel like talking now?"

"Sam's still my meat puppet. I'll make him bite off his tongue."

"You won't get the chance." I said, taking a few steps forward, looking back to Bobby, giving him a nod.

" _Exorcisamus te, omnes in mundus spiritus..."_ Bobby began to read.

"See, whatever bitch-boy master plan you demons are cooking up? You're not getting Sam. You understand me? 'Cause I'm gonna kill every one of you first." Dean said, speaking over Bobby.

Through the exorcism was clearing working still, Sam's struggled painfully, throwing his head back, laughing manically. Bobby stopped, looking up in surprise.

"You really think that's what this is about? The master plan? I don't give a rat's ass about the master plan." Sam spat.

" _Humiliares sub potente magnu dei..._ " Bobby continued.

"Oops. Doesn't seem to be working. See, I learned a few new tricks." Sam grinned, lowering his head. His voice became a low growl as he started speaking in Latin. " _Spiritus in mundus, un glorum suarum umitite palatum iram, domine ..."_

Suddenly, the fire place flared as the room started shaking around us, picture frames falling off walls and books tumbling off the shelves.

"This isn't going like I pictured!" Dean exclaimed. "What's going on, Bobby?"

"It's a binding link!" Bobby said, pointing to a marking on Sam's forearm. "It's like a lock! He's locked himself inside Sam's body!"

"What the hell do we do?" I asked.

"I don't know!" Bobby shouted. Never in my life had I heard Bobby say he didn't know what to do next, and with that, I started to lose hope for the first time since all this started.

What if we never got Sam back?

Suddenly, Sam threw his head back, letting out a loud wail as crack formed in the ceiling, breaking the trap.

"There." Sam sighed, breaking out of his restraints.. "That's better."

With a jerk of his head, Bobby went flying into the other room, out of sight. A smile appeared on his face as he flicked his hand, sending Dean flying across the room, landing heavily against the far wall. I saw that the flask of holy water had fallen out of his pocket and tried to grab it, but was suddenly dragged across the room into Sam's grasp.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, tightening his grip on my arm as he stared down into my eyes, his own going pitch black. I flinched back from the sight, fear spreading through me. "Does this scare you?"

I clenched my teeth, shutting my eyes for a moment as I started doing the only thing I could think of. " _Exorcisamus te, omnes in mun-"_

My eyes flew open when I felt a sharp pain fly through my arm as Sam pulled it backwards, holding me tightly.

"Sam no!" Dean shouted as I cried in pain. "Tori!"

With a flick on his wrist, Sam sent me flying back into the other wall, and I landed hard, hitting my head against the wall. I felt warmth pooling through my hair almost immediately, reaching back to feel the blood that started dripping from a gash in my head. I watched in distress as Sam stalked over to Dean, a sinister look on his face.

"You know when people want to describe the worse possible thing? They say it's like hell." He said, kneeling down in front of Dean, holding the collar of Dean's shirt tightly, pushing him hard in the jaw.

"No!" I screamed, feeling the tears run down my cheeks.

"Shut up!" Sam shouted, punching Dean once more. "You know there's a reason for that. Hell is like, um...well, it's like hell. Even for demons." Blood started to pool out from Dean's nose as he stared groggily up at Sam, his eyes barely open. And Sam hit him again, harder this time.

"It's a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear." Sam said, holding Dean's head roughly. "And you sent me back there."

"Meg." Dean sneered.

"No. Not anymore. Now I'm Sam." He smiled, digging a finger into Dean's bullet wound. "By the way. I saw your Dad there – he says _howdy_. All that I had to hold onto, was that I would climb out one day, and that I was going to torture you. Nice and slow. Like pulling the wings off an insect. But whatever I do to you, it's nothing compared to what you do to yourself, is it?"

He continued with a smile. "I can see it in your eyes, Dean. You're worthless. You couldn't save your Dad, and deep down...you know that you can't save your brother. They'd have been better off without you."

"You fucking bitch!" I yelled, my voice raspy.

"You want me to fuck up the other arm!?" Sam asked, glancing over at me. "Shut up!"

"Fuck you!"

"Excuse me?" Sam asked, standing up.

"Tori, stop." Dean called, his voice fading slightly. I sat myself up, peering up at Sam through hazy eyes as he stalked over to me.

"I said, fuck you, you bitch." I spat. I didn't care what happened to me. I just wanted that thing away from Dean.

Suddenly, Sam dropped in front of me, his hand around my throat. "I could snap your neck just like I snapped your arm."

"Sam?" I called, looking deep into his eyes. "I know you're in there, Sam. You're gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay."

I grabbed Sam's arm with my hand as he held me to the wall. "You just don't know when you shut up, huh? You know, once I'm done with Sammy here, I'm coming for you next."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah. I made a promise, and I'm gonna keep it." He sneered. "I just can't wait for the moment I use that pretty little body of yours to bleed Dean dry."

I swallowed hard, digging my fingernails into Sam's arm as his grip tightened around my throat.

"Stop!" Dean called weakly.

"Ever wonder what Dean's blood tastes like?" Sam asked, staring deeply into my fear filled eyes. "Well, you're gonna find out."

"That's not gonna happen." I strained through my closing airways. All I could do now was try to keep him busy so he wouldn't notice Bobby slowly coming up behind, a hot poker in his hands.

"Oh, no? Why not?"

"You're not gonna live long enough." I hissed, holding his arm down with all the strength I could muster as Bobby pressed the hot poker down onto the mark on Sam's arm.

Suddenly, Sam flew back, screaming in pain. Black smoke flew out of him, frantically rising up the chimney. Sam fell back, landing with a thud as Bobby came over to my side, inspecting my arm.

Sam suddenly awoke, looking around in confusion as he stood to his feet. Dean pulled himself off the ground, a heartbreaking look on his face when he looked over at me as he made his way to Sam.

"Did I miss anything?" Sam asked, trying to take in everything around him. His expression changed from curiosity to horror as he took in our injured states. "What-"

Without a word, Dean reared back, punching Sam hard across the cheek. Sam stumbled backwards, holding his face as Dean swayed, collapsing to the ground.

"Dean!" I called, worry filling my voice as he laid there, unconscious. I made my way over to him, ignoring the pain in my arm and head as I tried to pick him up off the ground. Bobby quickly came over, trying to stop me, but I wouldn't listen.

I stood on shaky legs, helping Bobby move Dean to the couch with Sam's help. I wobbled on my feet, feeling my eyes go out of focus. I nearly fell over when Sam caught me, a scared look in his eyes.

* * *

Bobby was surprised I hadn't blacked out from the pain I was in, but to be honest, my adrenaline was pumping too fast for that to happen anytime soon. Plus, at this point, I was pretty much drunk from all the whiskey he'd made me drink.

I didn't want to leave Dean, who still lay unconscious on the couch in the study, but Bobby had insisted that I needed to get myself taken care of before I could care for him. I reluctantly agreed, following Bobby into the kitchen, leaving a sad and confused Sam in there with Dean.

Once Bobby had me positioned in a chair, he stood behind me, holding a bowl beneath my head, my bloodstained hair pooled inside of it.

"This ain't gonna feel that great." Bobby muttered, ready to pour alcohol on the gash there. "Say when."

"Fuckin' when." I mumbled, taking a swig of whiskey before he started, hissing when the alcohol made contact with the wound, burning it. "Ow."

"If only that were the worst part." Bobby grumbled, placing a large needle and some thread on the table.

"It's that bad?"

"Yeah." Bobby mumbled somberly, threading the needle. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Bobby patted the wound with a paper towel, drying it before spreading a thin line of super glue to the wound, pinching it shut. I shut my eyes tight, feeling the sting and burn from the glue spread through the gash.

Then after that was done, he started sewing up the wound. At first, I cringed with every prick of the needle, but after a while, I just got numb to it.

"You're a tough girl." Bobby muttered after he was finished, pulling up a chair next to me, gently pressing on my injured arm.

"What, did you forget?" I quipped, staring up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I don't think I could." Bobby chuckled. "There aren't a lot of people like you running around."

"I'd hope not." I joked.

"You know, what you did in there? It was stupid." Bobby said suddenly.

"What?"

"Baiting that demon? It coulda killed you." Bobby muttered, his emotions showing through slightly.

"I had to. I had to get that thing away from Dean. I knew you were there, anyway." I lied.

"And what if that didn't work?" Bobby asked, seeing right through me.

"I had to try- we had to try...something. We're safe. Sam's okay...that's what matters now." I said. "You know, someone taught me a long time ago that no matter what, I should never give up. That I always had to fight. And if I got knocked down, I needed to get back up and keep swinging. That person was y-"

"Let's get you patched up here." Bobby interrupted, changing the subject as he cleared his throat.

"Is that a tear?" I asked jokingly. I lifted my good hand, pointing to Bobby's eye. "My god, I think it is!"

"Alright, knock it off." Bobby grumbled, inspecting my arm. "Idjit."

A few moments later, Bobby had determined that my arm was only sprained and not broken, so I'd only need a brace instead of a cast, something I was more than thankful for.

"Now, it ain't gonna be all that functional, but you're gonna have to keep it on for a while." Bobby said, placing my arm into the brace.

"Okay, Dr." I joked, shooting him a sarcastic smile as he rolled his eyes, tightening the Velcro.

* * *

A short time later, I was sitting on the couch, Dean's head in my lap as I held an icepack on his forehead. Sam was sitting across the room in a small chair, staring down at the floor, not speaking a word. Even when Bobby had asked him if he wanted something to drink or eat, all he did was grunt.

I sympathized with him, knowing just how shitty this whole thing was. It wasn't something easy to bounce back from, but I knew he could do it. With time.

Just then, I saw Dean's eyes fluttered open. He attempted to sit up quickly, but I stopped him, pushing his shoulders down gently.

"Relax, it's okay." I said quickly.

"Where's Sam?" He asked, worry filling his tone as he looked around the room for his brother.

"He's okay, he's here." I muttered, smoothing Dean's hair back.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, nothing but concern in his eyes as he looked into mine.

"Just peachy." I said, repeating his words from before, showing him the brace on my arm.

"Oh god." Dean murmured, running a hand over his face.

"Guys I am-" Sam stared out of nowhere, startling me slightly. He paused, seeming like he couldn't I find the right words.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry." He muttered, looking up. "I can't believe..."

"Sam, it's okay."

Sam looked to his brother for a moment, before looking back down to the table again. Bobby cleared his throat, entering the room with a cell phone in his hand.

"You kids ever hear of a hunter named Steve Wandell?"

"Why do you ask?" Dean asked, slowly sitting up next to me.

"Heard from a friend that Wandell's dead. Murdered in his own house." Bobby said, looking between the three of us. "You wouldn't know anything about that."

"No sir, never heard of the guy."

"Dean-" Sam started.

"Good." Bobby interrupted. "Keep it that way. Wandell's buddies are looking for someone or something to string up, and they're not going to slow down to listen to reason. You understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded feeling a little more sobered up by what Bobby had told us.

"We better hit the road." Dean sighed, standing up.

"I guess." I nodded, standing

"Here. Take these." Bobby said, handing us each a metal charm.

"What are they?" Sam asked, taking his.

"Charms. They'll fend off possession. That demon's still out there. This'll stop it from getting back up in ya." Bobby said, looking at me specifically – considering the demon did threaten to possess me next.

"That sounds vaguely dirty, but uh, thanks." Dean said.

"You're welcome. You kids be careful now."

"You too." Sam muttered, shooting Bobby a small smile. Bobby looked back at him, his poker face not changing. Sam dejectedly looked back towards the ground, not missing the small interaction between Dean and Bobby as he threw the icepack to Bobby, receiving a small smile from him.

I turned to Bobby as we left, looking up at him. "Go easy on Sam, this isn't his fault."

"Yeah." Bobby nodded, giving me a one armed hug as I left.

"Tale care of yourself."

"You too."

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

We all stayed quiet as Dean drove the Impala down the long dark road away from Bobby's house. I couldn't get tonight's events out of my mine, they just kept replaying over and over again like a bad movie.

"You okay? Sam? Is that you in there?" Dean asked, looking over at his brother with concerned eyes.

"I was awake for some of it...I watched myself kill Wandell with my own two hands, I saw the light go out in his eyes." Sam said, sending a chill down my spine as I thought of Rose and Peter.

Watching their lives drain from them, their blood on my hands. It wasn't something I ever really got over...how could it be?

"Sam it- I can't say that it'll ever be okay, because it won't." I told him honestly. "That's not something that will ever be _okay_. But it wasn't your fault, it wasn't you-"

"That's not my point." Sam muttered. "I almost carved up Jo, too. But no matter what I did, you wouldn't shoot."

"It was the right move, Sam. Like Tori said, it wasn't you." Dean said.

"Yeah, this time. What about next time?"

"Sam, when Dad told us that we might have to kill you, it was only if we couldn't save you." Dean said, looking over at Sam. "Now, if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna save you."

"There won't be a next time, Sam." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Not with us around."

After a moment of silence, Dean chuckled softly to himself, a smile spreading across his lips.

"What?" Sam asked, confused as to what the hell Dean could possibly be laughing at right now.

"Nothing."

"Dean, what?"

"Dude, you- you like, full-on had a girl inside you for like a whole week." Dean joked. I watched cautiously as Sam frowned for a moment before he broke and stared laughing along.

"That is pretty naughty." I chuckled.

* * *

After a few more hours of driving, we were in another state and in another motel room. Sam didn't want to eat anything, which I figured would happen. I remember that the boys had to practically shove food down my throat the first few weeks I was with them.

Sam just looked tired, the bags under his eyes seemed to intensify from the moment we left Bobby's. With a small sigh and a dejected voice, he announced he was going to try and get some sleep, crawling into the bed. Dean and I watched him closely as he laid there, facing away from us.

I snuggled in closer to Dean's side as he wrapped an arm around me, holding me tightly, careful not to hit my arm or head.

"How do you feel?" He asked quietly, the low hum of the TV in the background.

"Okay." I shrugged. "You?"

"Fine." Dean sighed. "Long day."

A few moments of comfortable silence passed before I spoke again, remembering something I felt I needed to get off my chest.

"Do you- do you remember when we were at that hotel in Connecticut?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, gently fingering the ends of my hair.

"Remember that...dream I had?"

"Yeah. The one you never told me about." Dean said. "You seemed pretty shaken up by it."

"I was."

"What happened?"

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Sam's breathing even out. Knowing that he was sleeping, I looked back up to Dean, leaning up on my elbow.

"Sam was possessed." I muttered quietly.

"What?" Dean asked. "Are you saying you can predict the future or something?"

"No. Of course not." I shook my head. "I'm just- Sam was possessed and Dean you- you-"

"I, what?"

"You shot him." I said, my eyes tearing up.

"What?" Dean exclaimed quietly, his eyes wide and voice full of shock.

"And then there was- there was this voice. It was- honestly, it was terrifying." I said, my voice shaking as I recalled it.

"What did it say?"

" _You can't save him._ " I quoted, watching Dean's skin pale, clearly shaken by what I'd told him.

"But it- it was just a- a nightmare." Dean stuttered.

"Yeah." I nodded, feeling a tear run down my cheek. Dean quickly wiped it away, placing a finger under my chin so I could look into his eyes.

"Hey, it was just a nightmare." Dean said, trying to comfort me. "That will never happen."

"I know."

"I mean, it- that would never-"

"No." I muttered, shaking my head. "We'll never let that happen, right?"

"Never." Dean said, pulling me closer to place a kiss on my lips before tucking my head underneath his chin.

I know it was just a horrible nightmare and I knew I couldn't predict the future by any means…

But then why did part of that nightmare nearly come happen tonight?

I thought back over the whole conversation I'd had with Dean and honestly, all I heard was denial. In that moment, it felt like all the things we told Sam were nothing but lies.

I glanced over at Sam, seeing a peaceful look on his face as he slept. He looked so young, so innocent.

Could we really even save him from all this when we didn't even know what _this_ was? We were capable of dealing with it?

Of course we were.

As scary as everything was, I couldn't ever give up hope that we would _save_ Sam – whatever that even meant – but it was almost as if our will was being tested more and more everyday.

If anything, tonight proved even more that no matter what happens, no matter what we're up against, we could beat this.

* * *

 **Woo, glad that's over lol**

 **This was such a stressful chapter to write, I think need a nap.**

 **Though I have to say, I love writing some banter between Tori and Bobby, I think it's adorable.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Twitter: phoenixfire779**

 **Instagram: phoenixfirefanfiction**


	15. Tall Tales

_Show me how to lie  
You're getting better all the time  
And turning all against the one  
Is an art that's hard to teach  
Another clever word  
Sets off an unsuspecting herd  
And as you step back into line  
A mob jumps to their feet  
…_

 _Slowly out of line  
And drifting closer in your sights  
So play it out I'm wide awake  
It's a scene about me  
There's something in your way  
And now someone is gonna pay  
And if you can't get what you want  
Well it's all because of me_

 _Now dance, fucker, dance_  
 _Man, I never had a chance_  
 _And no one even knew_  
 _It was really only you_  
 _And now you'll lead the way_  
 _Show the light of day_  
 _Nice work you did_  
 _You're gonna go far, kid_  
 _Trust, deceived_

 _With a thousand lies_  
 _And a good disguise_  
 _Hit 'em right between the eyes_  
 _Hit 'em right between the eyes_  
 _When you walk away_  
 _Nothing more to say_  
 _See the lightning in your eyes_  
 _See 'em running for their lives_

 _Clever alibis_  
 _Lord of the flies_  
 _Hit 'em right between the eyes_  
 _Hit 'em right between the eyes_  
 _When you walk away_  
 _Nothing more to say_  
 _See the lightning in your eyes_  
 _See 'em running for their lives_

 **The Offspring -You're Gonna Go Far, Kid**

* * *

Though things were a little strained after everything in South Dakota, I felt as though we were all getting back on track. Sam no longer was consumed by guilt for the things he did, not that he wasn't bothered by it, but he bounced back faster than I expected him to, which made me happy.

Everything almost seemed...normal. Until we came here.

I let out a loud sigh, placing my good elbow on the table, resting my chin on my hand as I flipped through the book in front of me with my nearly healed – but not quite there yet – arm. The irritation I felt from having this stupid brace on seemed to flow to a bunch of different aspects of my life. Mainly the boys.

But right now, I was angry with Dean. Sam and I had been researching for hours while he sat there and did nothing and I was getting pretty sick and tired of it.

"Dude. You mind not eating those on my bed?" Sam asked in an annoyed voice.

"No, I don't mind." Dean muttered, picking up a few more chilli fries as he stuffed them in his mouth. "How's research going?"

"You know how it's going? Slow. You know how it would go a heck of a lot faster? If I had my computer." Sam said, raising an eyebrow. Dean just nodded, playing with the radio as he went back to eating.

"Can you turn that down please?" I asked, rubbing my temples as I felt a migraine coming on.

"Yeah, absolutely." Dean said, turning the volume up louder.

"You know what? Maybe you should just go somewhere for a while!" I shouted over the music, glaring at him.

"Hey, I'd love to. That's a great idea." Dean snapped, his eyes darting between Sam and I. "Unfortunately, my car's all screwed to hell."

Sam let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Dean, I told you, we had nothing to do wi-"

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, stopping Sam mid-sentence. I looked between the boys, waiting for one of them to get it. When neither of them moved, I angrily slammed the book shut, stomping over to the door. I glanced through the peephole before opening it, a smile on my face as I stared up at the man standing there.

"Bobby!"

"Hey." Bobby muttered. The boy's mumbled their hello's as Bobby made his way into the room, looking around with a wary smile on his face. "It's good to see you again so soon."

"Yeah, thanks for coming." I told him.

Dean got up then, making his way over to Bobby to shake his hand. "Thank god you're here."

"So um, what didn't you want to talk to me on the phone about?" Bobby asked, glancing back and forth between the three of us.

"It's this job we're working." Sam shrugged. "We- we weren't sure you'd believe us."

"Well, I can believe a lot."

"Yeah, no, no, it's just, we've never seen anything like it-"

"Not even close." I mumbled, folding my arms.

"And we thought we could use some fresh eyes."

Bobby let out a sigh. "Well, why don't you begin at the beginning?"

"Yeah, um, all right." Sam muttered, gesturing for Bobby to sit.

Bobby walked over to the bed Dean was just on, picking up the empty fry tray with a raised eyebrow before setting it on the end table. I moved to sit across from Bobby at the same time Dean stepped in front of me. I angrily push him aside, the two of us glaring at each other for a moment as Bobby stared on with an eyebrow raised.

Eventually, I made it to the bed, sitting across from Bobby with a huff as Dean plopped down beside me.

"So, it all started when we caught wind of an obit. See, a professor took a nosedive from a fourth story window, only there's a campus legend that the building's haunted." Sam said, pulling a chair over to the edge of the bed. "So we pretexted as reporters from the local paper."

* * *

 **BAR – FLASHBACK  
** SPOV 

"Yeah, we both had the professor for Ethics and Morality." Curtis, a stocky jock muttered, constantly glancing down to the tape recorder I'd set on the table.

"Yeah? So why do you think he did it?" I asked.

"Who knows? I mean, he was tenured, wife and kids. His book is like a really big deal. Then again..." Jen, Curtis's friend muttered, leaning in. "Who's to say it was suicide?"

"Jen, come on." Curtis scoffed, shaking his head.

"Well, what else could it be?" I asked, acting surprised.

"Well, you know about Crawford Hall?" Jen asked.

"No, I don't, actually."

"It's a bunch of crap, it's a total urban legend." Curtis said.

"Yeah well, Heather's mom went to school here, and she knew the girl?"

"Wait, what girl?" I asked.

"Thirty years ago, this girl was having an affair with some professor. He broke it off, she jumped out the window and killed herself." Jen told me.

"You know her name?"

"No. But they say she jumped from room six-six-nine. Get it? You turn the nine upside down?" She asked, staring into my eyes. I nodded, trying to not laugh as Curtis let out a loud chuckle. Jen ignored him, continuing. "So now she haunts the building. And anyone who sees her? They don't live to tell the tale."

"Well if no one lives to tell the tale, then how does the tale get told?" Curtis asked sarcastically.

"Curtis! Shut up!" Jen exclaimed.

"You know what, uh, thanks a lot guys." I said, picking up the tape recorder, standing up. "Excuse me."

I made my way through the bar, trying to find Tori and Dean – who had all but disappeared when we came in here to do God knows what. Eventually, I found them at the bar – I don't know where I expected them to be – they were taking a few shots as I walked up.

"What are you drinking?" I asked, watching the two of them hang all over each other and they took a couple more shots.

"I don't know, man, I think they're called purple nurples?" Dean muttered, burping. Tori giggled, throwing back another shot.

"You think it's really a good idea to be drinking that much right now?" I asked, watching her closely.

"I'm fine." She slurred, smiling up at me.

"Okay, well listen. I think maybe we should go check out the professor's office." I told them.

"No, no, no, we can't right now." Dean whined, pulling Tori even closer to him as she giggled more erratically. "Me and this feisty little wildcat are about to head back to the motel room and have a little... _fun_ – if you know what I mean."

"Guys-"

"Oh, come on Sam. Let us have a little fun." Tori mumbled, downing another shot before coughing.  
"You okay?" Dean asked, at least having the sense to be concerned about her.

"You are so hot." Tori said, staring into Dean's eyes for a moment before Tori suddenly jumped up into Dean's arms, her legs on either side of his hips as they practically attacked each other, groping and kissing sloppily.

* * *

 **MOTEL – Present  
** TPOV

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a minute." Dean called, interrupting Sam.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Come on, dude, that's not how it happened."

"Yeah, fuck that. I don't act that way!" I exclaimed.

"Oh?" Sam muttered, raising an eyebrow. "So you never drank a purple nurple?"

"Yeah, maybe that, but I don't say things _like feisty little wildcat_." Dean argued.

"I'd kill him if he called me that." I said, folding my arms. "Plus, we've never done _that_...in public."

"Well, there was that one time-"

"Dean." I snapped, slapping his shoulder. "Zip it."

"Okay, then how did it go?" Sam asked, a challenging tone to his voice.

* * *

 **BAR – Flashback  
** DPOV

I leaned down on the bar, watching Tori as she stared up at me with her big hazel eyes, a small smile on her lips, her voice low. "My god, you are attractive."

"Thanks, babe." I nodded. "But there's no time for that now. We need to get back on track, start getting information. Remember, lives are at stake."

"Sorry, I know." Tori sighed, her eyes twinkling. "I just- I can't even concentrate. Looking at you, it's like staring...into the sun."

With a sultry stare, she reached up pulling me down for a slow, gentle kiss.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sam called, his tone high-pitched. Tori and I broke away from each other, glancing back at him. He stood there, lips pursed, his jacket slung over one shoulder.

"Sam, please." Tori muttered.

"If you wouldn't mind, give us five minutes here." I said.

"This is a very serious investigation. We don't have any time for any of your-" Sam continued, but I ignored him, allowing his voice to drift into the background as I leaned back down to kiss Tori.

* * *

 **HOTEL – Present  
** TPOV

"That's not at all how it happened." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"I don't sound like that, Dean!" Sam said loudly.

"That's what you sound like to me." Dean shrugged. Sam glanced over at me, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Well, you can sound like that sometimes." I admitted with a shrug, turning back to Dean. "Also, when have I ever acted like _that_?"

"You totally have."

"When was the last time I was that taken by your _beauty_?"

"All the time." Dean said, as if it were obvious.

"Yeah, right." I scoffed. "The only reason looking at you is like staring into the sun is the fact that it causes severe pain."

Sam let out a laugh as Dean stared at me with offended eyes. "Hey!"

"This is what really happened."

* * *

 **BAR – Flashback  
** TPOV

This job seemed to be going nowhere. We couldn't find anything and truthfully, I just wanted to leave this freaking place. I felt like it was messing with my head.

I could only hope Sam was gaining some valuable information from the couple he was talking to across the bar because this was all just so stressful.

Dean was downing drink after drink, and usually I'd join in, but tonight I just wasn't feeling up to it. All I wanted to do was sleep. And on top of all that, he was hitting on literally every single thing in a skirt that made their way past him. It was getting pretty pathetic and I was two second away from smacking the shit out of him.

But to save myself from more anger, I decided to make my way over to Sam to see what he was up to - I just hoped he wouldn't piss me off too.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"What?" Sam asked, looking up from his notepad.

"What's going on? What did you find out?"

"Oh, uh-"

"Tell me you found something." I huffed.

"Not really. Just something about a room six-six-nine, I don't know." He said, shrugging slightly as he went back to the notepad in front of him and started doodling.

"Are you kidding me?"

Sam looked up, his eyes going wide for a moment as he stared past me. "Uh-"

"What?" I asked, turning to follow his gaze when he didn't answer.

My eyes bugged out of my head, my jaw hitting the floor as I took in the scene in front of me. In front of Dean was a skimpily dressed blonde...which was normal. Except for the fact that he was pressing her against the bar, the length of their bodies touching, his lips planted firmly against hers.

"What the fuc-"

* * *

 **HOTEL - Present**  
TPOV

"Okay, that is not fucking true!" Dean yelled, instantly getting angry. This was the same reaction he had every single time I'd brought it up. "I did not do that!"

"Oh yeah? Then why did I see it happen!?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why didn't Sam see it?" Dean asked, challenging me.

"Well..." I stammered, glancing over at Sam, who had his eyes trained on the ground. He wouldn't ever really admit whether he'd seen anything or not, so to me, his opinion simply didn't matter. I know what I saw. "Because he's stupid, too!"

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Enough!" Bobby interrupted, staring at us with wide, irritated eyes. "What's going on with you three?"

"Nothing. No- it's nothing." Sam said, shaking his head.

"No, come on. You're bickering like some old married couple." Bobby scoffed. "A screwed up one, at that."

"No, see married couples can get divorced." Dean said, getting up to walk across the room. "We're like, uh, Siamese triplets."

"It's _conjoined_ triplets!" Sam corrected in an indignant voice.

"There's no such thing, you idiots!" I exclaimed, balling my fist in my lap as the annoyance took over.

"See what I mean?" Dean asked, throwing his arms out to the side.

"Look, it- we've just been on the road for too long." Sam told Bobby, trying to reassure him that we were perfectly fine, even though we all knew how shit that excuse was. "Tight quarters and all that. Don't worry about it."

"Okay." Bobby muttered, staring at us with worried eyes.

"So, anyway-" Sam continued. "We figured it might be a haunting, so we went to check out the scene of the crime."

* * *

 **CRAWFORD HALL – Flashback**  
SPOV

"So, how long have you been working here?" Tori asked the janitor as he led us into the Professor's office.

"I've been mopping this floor for six years." He muttered with a nod, turning on the light. "There you go, guys." He glanced down at the EMF meter in my hands, raising an eyebrow. "What the heck's that for?"

"To find a wire in the walls."

"Wow. Not sure why you're wiring up this office. Not gonna do the professor much good."

"Why's that?" Dean asked, standing closely to Tori – like always.

"He's dead."

"Oh. What happened?"

"He went out that window. Right there." The janitor said, pointing to said window.

"Yeah? Were you working that night?" Tori asked.

"I'm the one who found him."

"Did you see it happen?" Tori asked. I glanced behind me, watching Dean eat something out of a bowl on a side table

"Nope. I just saw him come up here, and uh, well..."

"What?" I asked, moving my eyes back to the janitor.

"He wasn't alone."

Dean walked back over, now holding the bowl in his hands as he stuffed his mouth with tiny caramels. Tori glanced over at him, her eyes wide as she shook her head.

"Who was he with?" Dean asked, forcing the words out around the candy in his mouth.

* * *

 **MOTEL – Present**

"Come on! I ate one, maybe two!" Dean argued.

"Dean, when have you ever only eaten one or two of anything?" Tori asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Just let me tell it, okay?" I asked, shaking my head.

* * *

 **OFFICE – Flashback**

"He was with a young lady. I told the cops about her, but uh, I guess they never found her." The janitor said.

"You saw this girl go in...but did you ever see her come out?" Tori asked, trying to ignore Dean's loud chewing next to her.

"Now that you mention it, no."

"You ever see her before, around?" I asked.

"Well, not her."

Dean glanced down at Tori, shrinking away from her glare before looking back to the janitor. "What do you mean?"

"I don't mean to cast aspersions on a dead guy, but uh, Mister Morality here? He brought a lot of girls up here. Got more ass than a toilet seat."

Dean started laughing obnoxiously, stopping only when Tori elbowed him in the ribs.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head. "One more thing. This building, it only has four stories, right?"

"Yeah."

Tori glanced up at me, looking back to the janitor. "So there wouldn't be a room six-six-nine?"

"'Course not. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious...thanks."

* * *

 **HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT**  
SPOV

I let out a sigh as we entered the room, sitting at the table with a huff. Tori lagged behind, throwing herself down on the bed, rubbing her temples as Dean went to grab a beer.

"Well, no traces of EMF, that's for sure." I said.

"And the room six-six-nine's a load of crap." Tori muttered from the bed.

"So what do you think? The professor's just a jumper? A legend's just a legend?"

"I don't know. I mean, the uh, girl the janitor described, that's pretty weird." Dean said.

"Yeah."

"We oughta check out the history of the building. See if any co-ed ganked herself there."

"Yeah, you're right." I muttered, opening the laptop. I furrowed my brown, staring down at the picture that was frozen there. "Dude. Were you on my computer?"

"No." Dean said, walking out of the bathroom. Tori sat up, craning her neck to see the screen.

"Oh really?" I asked, turning the laptop for her to see as I stared back at Dean. "'Cause it's frozen now. On uh, ."

"As if you weren't in enough trouble already." Tori muttered in a low voice as she narrowed her eyes at Dean. He flinched at her glare, backing into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

"Dean!" I yelled, shaking my head. "Would you- just don't touch my stuff anymore, okay?"

"Why don't you control your OCD?"

"Dammit, Dean!" Tori shouted, throwing herself back onto the bed with a huff as I tried to figure out what the hell I could do to fix the computer.

* * *

 **MOTEL – Present  
TPOV**

"But did you dig up anything about the building? Or on the suicidal co-ed?" Bobby asked.

"No. History's clean." I replied.

"Then it's not a haunting."

"Maybe not." Dean shrugged, sitting down next to me again. "Tell you the truth, we're not really sure."

"Can you go somewhere else?" I snapped, looking over at him.

"Am I annoying you?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." I said, staring at him in awe as he moved closer to me.

"Wait, what do you mean, you're not sure?" Bobby asked, trying his best to ignore our fighting.

"Well, it's weird." I muttered, glancing over at Sam.

"What's weird?"

"This next part...well, we didn't see it happen ourselves...exactly, but it's pretty freaking weird. Even for us." Sam told him.

"What is it?" Bobby asked, glancing over at me.

I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Aliens."

Bobby looked at me like I was insane for a moment, repeating the word slowly. " _Aliens_?"

"Yeah."

"... _aliens_?"

"... _yeah_."

Bobby let out a low laugh, shaking his head. "Look, even if they are real, they're sure as hell not coming to earth and swiping people."

"Hey, believe me. We know." Dean muttered.

"My whole life, I've never found evidence of an honest-to-God abduction. It's all just cranks and pranks."

"Well, that's what we thought. But, we figured we'd at least talk to the guy."

* * *

 **BAR – Flashback  
** TPOV

Trying to be professional when all I wanted to do was punch Dean in the gut repeatedly was, needless to say, difficult. But I somehow managed, even sitting next to him as we interviewed one of the students, Curtis, who downed yet another shot, looking around nervously. Sam rose an eyebrow, glancing down at me from his spot next to Curtis.

"Hey, you ought to give those purple nurples a shot." Dean muttered, nodding to the small shot glasses.

I rolled my eyes, kicking him under the table – probably a bit harder than I really needed to – looking back up to Curtis. "So, what exactly happened, Curtis?"

"You won't believe me. Nobody does."

"Give us a chance." I smiled.

"I do not want this in the papers." Curtis said, his eyes darting between the three of us.

Dean nodded. "Off the record, then."

Curtis took a deep breath. "I, uh... I blacked out, and...I lost time, and when I woke up, I don't know where I was."

"Then what?" Sam asked.

"They did tests on me. And, uh..." Curtis paused, taking another shot. "They, uh...they probed me."

I stared at him with a confused expression, trying to ignore Sam's quiet laughter.

"They _probed_ you?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"Yeah, they probed me. Again and a- again and- and again." Curtis down another shot, shaking his head. "And again, and again, and again. And then one more time."

"Yikes." I muttered, sharing a look of discomfort with Dean.

"And that's not even the worst of it."

"How could it get any worse? Some alien made you his bitch." Dean said with a smirk. I couldn't help but chuckle lightly, the both of us stopping immediately as Curtis glared at us.

"They- they made me...slow dance!"

I rose an eyebrow, sharing a _this dude's crazy_ look with Sam and Dean as Curtis slowly broke down in front of us, wailing into his sleeve.

* * *

 **HOTEL – PRESENT**

"You guys are exaggerating again, aren't you?" Bobby asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nope." I shook my head adamantly. "I wish we were."

"Then this frat boy's just nuts."

"We're not so sure." Dean muttered.

* * *

 **CAMPUS – Flashback**

The three of us walked across the small campus to where Curtis said he'd gotten...abducted. And to our surprise, there was actually a huge, perfectly round scorch mark burned into the grass around us.

"I'm telling you, this was made by some kind of jet engine." Sam said, glancing back at Dean and I.

"You mean some saucer-shaped jet engine?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What else could it be?" Sam shrugged.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, looking around at the ground.

"I don't know."

"Seriously, dude – what the hell?"

"I don't know."

"First the haunting. Now this? The timing alone – there's got to be some kind of connection here." I said.

"You mean between the angry spirit and the sexed-Up E.T.? What could the connection possibly be?"

"That's what we have to find out."

* * *

 **CAMPUS  
** DPOV

After searching around the campus for a bit, we finally found another student that would actually talk to us about any of this, though he didn't really seem all to comfortable with it either.

Tori was still avoiding me, standing as far away as she could possibly get. Honestly, I was starting to get sick of it. I can't help what she thinks she saw, none of that happened.

"So, you and this guy, Curtis – you were in the same house?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"You heard what happened to him, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, he says it was aliens, but, you know, whatever." He shrugged.

"Look, man, I- I know this all has to be so hard." Sam muttered, his tone over-caring and sappy – as usual.

"Um, not so much." He muttered.

"But I want you to know...I'm here for you. You brave little soldier. I acknowledge your pain. Come here." Sam grabbed the guy, pulling him in for a tight hug. "You're too precious for this world."

* * *

 **HOTEL – PRESENT**

"I never said that!" Sam exclaimed.

"You're always saying pansy stuff like that."

"That's not _pansy stuff_ Dean, it's being a caring person who shows actual emotion towards others." Tori muttered dryly.

"I didn't even touch the guy." Sam argued.

"No, you definitely did." Tori replied, shrugging when Sam glared daggers at her.

"Okay, whatever." I said, shaking my head. "Let me fucking finish."

"Ooh." Tori mumbled mockingly. "I'm so scared."

"Would you just-" I paused, letting out a frustrated breath. "Anyway."

* * *

 **CAMPUS – Flashback**

"Well, um... Yeah, uh, thanks." The student muttered, clearly uncomfortable with Sam hanging all over him. After a few more agonizing seconds, Sam finally released him, keeping an arm on his shoulder. "Thanks for the hug, but, uh, I'm okay. Really. To tell you the truth, whatever happened to Curtis, he had it coming."

"Why?" Tori asked.

"He's our pledge master. Put us through hell this semester, and got off on it. So now he knows how we feel."

* * *

 **MOTEL – FLASHBACK  
** TPOV

After finishing up talking with that student that Sam practically made out with, we made an awkward drive back to the motel to try and see if we could figure some other things out.

"Still doesn't make a lick of sense. But, hey, at least there's one connection." Dean said, grabbing a beer from the fridge before sitting at the table.

"Between what?" Sam asked.

"The victims. The professor and the frat guy – they're both dicks." Dean said obviously.

"That's a connection?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You got anything better to go on, I'd love to hear it." Dean muttered, taking a swig of his beer.

"Where's my laptop?" Sam asked suddenly, looking around in his bag for it.

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "But think about it. A philandering professor gets a dead girl. A pledge master gets hazed."

"I left it in here."

"You obviously didn't. I mean, these punishments—they're almost poetic. Actually, it'd be more like a limerick, but still-"

" _A limerick?_ " I asked, feigning shock. "Wow. I didn't even know you could read."

"Oh, ha, ha. So funny, I forgot to laugh."

"Okay, where'd you hide it?" Sam asked, turning towards Dean.

"What, your computer?"

"Yeah, where'd you hide it?"

"Why would I take your computer?"

"Because no one else could have, Dean! We keep the door locked. We never let any maids in."

"What about her?" Dean asked, pointing over to me.

"Hey, I wasn't the one looking at porn on it." I said, gaining a glare from Dean.

"No, but you were pretty pissed at him for doing that." Sam said, his conspiracy theory voice in full effect.

"Meaning?"

"Did you take it so he wouldn't go on it anymore?"

"Why would I do that? I don't give a shit what he does."

"Then why are you so pissed at him for making out with that girl?"

"Fuck you, I didn't do that." Dean said, an annoyed tone to his voice as he took a long swig of his beer.

"Listen, Sam." I said, sitting up. "I didn't do anything to your stupid computer, okay? If you're gonna blame anyone, blame him."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed. "I didn't do anything with it."

"Then where is it?" Sam asked.

"Looks like you lost it, _Poindexter_." Dean commented.

"Dude, you know something? I put up with a lot from you." Sam said, spinning around to face Dean.

"What are you talking about? I'm a joy to be around."

"Oh yeah." I scoffed.

"What?" Dean asked, looking over to me. I held my hands up in the air, leaning back on the bed as I watched the boys bicker in front of me.

"Your dirty socks in the sink, your food in the fridge." Sam started, listing off just a few things.

"What's wrong with my food?" Dean asked.

"It's not food anymore, Dean! It's Darwinism. All I ask from you, the one thing, is that you don't mess with my stuff!"

"You done?"

"You know, how would you feel if I screwed with your stuff?" Sam asked, looking between Dean and I.

"It'd be the last thing you ever did." Dean threatened.

* * *

 **HOTEL – PRESENT**

"Did either of you take his computer?" Bobby asked pointedly.

"Serves him right, but, no." Dean said.

"No." I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, I didn't lose it. 'Cause I don't lose things." Sam argue.

"Oh, that's right, yeah, 'cause he's _Mr. Perfect_." Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Okay, okay. Why don't you just tell me what happened next?" Bobby said, looking more towards me for the answer than either of the boys.

"Well, there was one more victim." I told him.

"Right. Now, we- we didn't see this one ourselves, either. We kind of put it together from the evidence." Sam said.

"But this guy, he was a research scientist. Doing animal testing." I said, cringing at the thought.

"Yeah, you know, a dick. Which fits the pattern." Dean finished. "Cops didn't release the cause of death 'cause they had no clue what the cause was."

"So we checked it our ourselves." Sam said.

* * *

 **MORGUE – Flashback  
** TPOV

I pulled the switchblade out of my pocket, bending down in front of the window to get a better angle. I slid the blade underneath the small crack, trying to unlock the lack.

"I need more light." I muttered.

"What?" Dean asked, deliberately shining the flashlight in my eyes. I jumped back from the light, my hand slipping, causing the blade to nearly slice my palm.

"Thanks a lot, jerk. I almost cut myself." I hissed, ripping the flashlight out of his hands.

"You okay?" Dean asked, a look of concern seeping into his eyes.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, placing the flashlight in between my teeth, pushing the blade back underneath the window. After a few more seconds, I slid the latch, closing the switchblade and putting it back in my pocket before lifting the window.

I made my way inside the building, hearing my footsteps echo as I jumped from the ledge. I made my way though the room, hearing Sam and Dean following behind.

Dean went over to the drawers, sliding one out to reveal a body covered by a blood soaked blanket. "Well, this oughta be quick."

"Oh god." I murmured, covering my nose with my sleeve as Dean pulled back the blanket to reveal a severely mangled corpse.

"Okay, that is just nasty." Dean commented.

"Uh, yeah." Sam said, his voice muffled by his sleeve as well.

"Mutilated?"

"Looks to me like something was hungry."

"Have they identified him yet?" I asked.

"Yeah, uh, a research scientist at the college. Guess where his office was, by the way. Crawford Hall, same as the professor." Sam told us.

"That's right where the frat boy had his _close encounter_." Dean added.

"Yeah. Hey, grab me that thing, would you?" Sam asked, pointing to a magnifying glass. Dean nodded, handing it to him so he could examine the corpse closer.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to something lodged into the man's skin.

"Looks like a- a belly scale?" Sam questioned, shrugging slightly.

"A belly scale?" Dean asked. "From what?"

"An alligator?"

"An alligator in the sewer? Come on."

"Well, it's a classic urban legend. A kid flushes a baby gator down the toilet, and it grows huge in the tunnels."

"But no one's ever really found one." I said.

"Well, neither's alien abduction, but something chomped on this guy." Sam said, placing the magnifier back down.

"This couldn't get any weirder." Dean mumbled.

"Maybe we should get some help." I suggested. "I can call Bobby."

"Yeah, see if he's run into anything like this before." Sam said.

"Oh, I'm sure he has." Dean muttered sarcastically. "Just your typical haunted campus, alien abduction, alligator-in-the-sewer gig. Yeah, it's simple."

* * *

 **MOTEL – PRESENT**

"We decided to search the sewer anyway, so we split up, each taking one end of campus." Sam explained.

"Did you find anything?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, I found something. Just not in the sewer." Dean said.

* * *

 **HOTEL – DAY**  
TPOV

Getting out of the shower, I dried off and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. After being in those sewers for way too long, this was something I needed desperately. I moved in front of the mirror, wiping the steam away with my hand. I stared at my reflection for a moment, my eyes focusing on the empty spot on my neck where my necklace usually sat.

I frantically started looking around the bathroom for it, even getting down on my hands and knees to look underneath the sink.

Nothing.

Letting out a frustrated growl, I pushed myself off of the ground, leaving the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. Sam jumped at the sudden noise, looking up at me from the book in his hands.

"What-"

"Where's my necklace?" I asked, interrupted by Dean entering the room, slamming the door behind him as well, a furious look on his face, his eyes darting between Sam and I.

"You think this is funny?"

"Where's my necklace?" I asked again, taking a few steps over to Dean.

"I don't know. Where it always is." Dean snapped. "Around your neck."

"No shit. It's not there, otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

"You probably dropped it. Can we get back to more important things-"

" _More important things_?!" I growled. "That is the _most_ important thing!"

"What about the car?"" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who gives a shit about the damn car." I huffed.

Dean looked as though I just shot him, gasping loudly, staring at me with wide eyes. "Take that back."

"No." I said defiantly.

"What is going on?" Sam asked.

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know." Dean muttered.

"That's the thing, I really don't."

"You can't let the air out of the tires! You're gonna bend the rims!" Dean exploded, looking between Sam and I with accusing eyes.

"I didn't go near the car." Sam said.

"Me either." I said.

"Oh, yeah? Why are the tires flat?" Dean asked.

"Maybe there was a leak?"

"On my tires?! Fuck no!" Dean exclaimed, getting angrier. "One of you had to do it, you're both pissed at me."

"Well I could say the same thing about you." I said. "Who took my necklace?"

"When the hell would I have been able to take it?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, but one of you had to!" I exclaimed. "If whoever took it doesn't fess up in the next two seconds-"

"What are you gonna do, shoot us?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That necklace was my mother's." I muttered, tears forming in my eyes. Dean glanced down to the ground, knowing how much that piece of jewelry meant to me.

"Listen, Tori, I didn't take your necklace." Sam said to me before looking to Dean. "And I didn't let the air out of the tires."

"Oh, yeah? Then how'd I find this?" Dean asked, holding up Sam's money clip.

"Hey. Give me back my money!" Sam exclaimed, standing to his feet quickly.

"Oh, no, no. Consider it reparations. For, uh, emotional trauma."

"Yeah, very funny. Now, give it back." Sam reached for it, but Dean quickly pulled it back, holding it up high.

"No."

"Dean, I have had it up to here with you." Sam spat.

"Yeah? Right back at you!"

Sam reached for the money and yet again, Dean pulled it back. Suddenly, Sam tackled Dean to the bed, trying to reach around him to get the money.

"Come on!" Sam strained.

"Get off me!" Dean struggled.

"Give it back!"

My eyes widened at the scene in front of me and I couldn't help but chuckle as they fought like children. It only lasted for a few seconds before my eye caught something sparkly sticking out of Sam's pocket.

I quickly went over to them while Dean still had Sam pinned down and grabbed the chain. A part of me felt relief when I saw the gem hanging safely from the chain, and then the rage hit.

"Stop it!" I yelled, pushing the two apart roughly. A fraction of a second passed before I started punching Sam in the arm. "You fucking liar! That means so much to me, how could you?!"

"Tori, I didn't-"

"If you fucking lost that-"

"Tori!" Sam called, finally stilling my punches. I breathed heavily, taking a step back from him. I spotted the money clip that had fallen on the ground, bending down to pick it up.

"Between everything the two of you idiots have done, if anyone gets money for emotional trauma, it's me."

"Tori-" Sam started, reaching for it. Before he could grab the clip, I swiftly shoved it in my bra, raising a challenging eyebrow.

* * *

 **HOTEL – PRESENT**

"Okay, enough." Bobby said, clearly getting irritated with us.

"You showed up about an hour after that." Dean muttered.

"I'm surprised at you three. I really am." Bobby grumbled. "Sam, first off, Dean did not steal your computer-"

"Then-"

"Tori didn't either."

"But-"

Bobby shushed Sam, holding his hand out as he looked over to Dean. "And, Dean, Sam did not touch your car-"

"Yeah!" Sam exclaimed, looking over at Dean.

"Okay, then-"

"Tori didn't either." Bobby said, stopping Dean.

"See?" I muttered, looking over at him.

"And Tori." Bobby started, looking at me with disappointed eyes. "Sam did not take your necklace."

"Then who-"

"He didn't." Bobby said, shooting me a stern look. "And Dean did not do anything with another woman."

"Ha!" Dean yelled.

"But I saw-"

"I don't care what you _saw_." Bobby said. "That boy loves you. Sure, sometimes he might be downright thick, but he ain't stupid enough to mess up what he has with you."

"Exactly." Dean sighed, looking up at me with sad eyes before blinking a few times, realizing what he'd just agreed to. "Wait, I mean, I wouldn't say I'm _thick_ -"

"Shut up." Bobby grumbled. "If you three bothered to pull your heads outta your asses, it all would have been pretty clear."

"What?" I asked.

"What you're dealing with."

"Uh..." Sam mumbled, looking over at Dean and I for ideas. I just shrugged, not knowing.

"I got nothing." Dean muttered.

"Me neither."

"You got a trickster on your hands." Bobby said.

Dean quickly snapped his fingers, nodding his head. "That's what I thought."

"What?!" Sam exclaimed.

"No, you didn't, Dean." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I got to tell you... you guys were the biggest clue."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"These things create chaos and mischief as easy as breathing, and it's got you so turned around and at each other's throats, you can't even think straight."

"My necklace..." I muttered.

"The laptop." Sam mumbled.

"The tires." Dean nodded.

"And the slut." I hissed, gaining raised eyebrows from Bobby.

"It knows you're onto him, and it's been playing you like fiddles." He said.

"So, what is it? Spirit, demon, what?" Dean asked.

"Well, more like demigods, really."

"Demigods? So, like Loki?" I asked.

"Exactly. And there's Anansi in West Africa. Dozens of them. They're immortal, and they can create things out of thin air. Things as real as you and me. Make them vanish just as quick."

"You mean like an angry spirit or an alien or an alligator." Dean said.

"The victims fit the M.O., too. Tricksters target the high and the mighty, knock them down a peg, usually with a sense of humor – deadly pranks, things like that."

"Bobby, what do these things look like?" I asked.

"Lots of things, but human, mostly."

"And what human do we know who's been around all the time?" I asked, looking between the boys.

* * *

 **CRAWFORD HALL – DAY**

The three of us followed the janitor up the long flight of stairs, trailing behind him slightly as he jingled a pair of keys.

"Sorry I'm dragging a little ass today, boys. And lady." He muttered, shooting a smirk at me. I grimaced as he continued. "Had quite the night last night. Lots of sex, if you catch my drift."

"Hard not to." I mumbled.

"Very appropriate choice of words."

"Oh...wow."

"Listen, we won't be long." Dean said, subtly – but not so subtly – moving up a step to stand between the janitor and I. "We just need to check a couple offices up on three."

"No problem."

"Oh shoot, you know what? I forgot something in the truck." I muttered. "You guys go, I'll catch up with you later."

"Alright." Dean nodded, him, Sam and the janitor turned, ascending the stairs again as I turned and went back down.

I waited down there for a moment until they were out of sight before quietly making my way back up the stairs, to a locked gate there. I pulled out a lockpick, trying to pick the lock in the small dimly lit space. Once I got in, I headed over to a line of lockers, rummaged through them until I found a copy of the _Weekly World News_ with the headline **Aliens Abduct Cheerleaders**. I rolled my eyes, shoving it back in the locker and headed back out.

* * *

 **CRAWFORD HALL – DAY**

"Just because he reads the _Weekly World News_ doesn't mean he's our guy." Sam muttered, looking at Dean. "I mean, you read it, too."

"I'm telling you, it's him." Dean said, looking to me. "Don't you get a weird feeling?"

"Yeah. He's a pig for one." I shrugged. "But, I don't know."

"Look, I just think we need some hard proof." Sam said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "That's all."

"Okay, another thing Bobby mentioned was that these suckers have a metabolism like an insect, a real sweet tooth." Dean said.

"I didn't find any candy bars." I said. "Or sugar. Not even equal."

"Eh, that's probably 'cause you missed something." Dean said.

"I didn't miss anything."

"Oh, 'cause you're so perfect."

"Are you seriously doing this right now?" I asked, folding my arms.

"I don't know, am I?" Dean questioned. "Maybe you're just seeing things."

"Dean, I already said I was sorry." I said, rolling my eyes. "Are you really still pissed at me for that?"

"You know what, maybe, I am. How the hell could you think that-"

"It's over, Dean! Jesus." I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"Guys, look, just calm down." Sam intervened, putting a hand in between Dean and I.

"Sam would you just shut up for five seconds?" I snapped.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help here."

"Yeah, you're so fucking wonderful." Dean mumbled.

"Alright, whatever." Sam said, shaking his head, looking up at his brother. "Just stay here, keep an eye on the janitor. I can go to his place to see if I can find any actual evidence before you go barging in and staking the man. And Tori can head back to the motel, see if she can dig anything else up."

"Sounds great to me." I spat, glancing up to see an almost sad look in Dean's eyes. "Just wait here until we get back, okay?"

"Yeah." Dean mumbled.

"Okay?"

"Okay!" Dean exclaimed. I nodded, heading off in the opposite direction back to the motel as Sam headed the other way, both of us leaving Dean pacing in front of the building.

* * *

 **CRAWFORD HALL – NIGHT  
** DPOV

Not too long after, Sam and Tori were completely out of sight. I lingered in front of the building, kicking the toe of my shoot into the grass, looking around.

"Ah, screw this." I muttered, making my way into the building.

I cautiously moved through the doors, my flashlight on as I made my way up the last staircase. Once I was on the last floor, I put my flashlight away and pulled out the stake. Just then, I heard the low sound of music filling a room somewhere in the building and tucked the stake back into my jacket, making my way into a theater.

As I opened the doors, the sound of Barry White played loudly throughout the room. Overs on the stage there was a large round bed with a canopy hanging over it and a slowly roasting disco ball hanging above. I made my way over to the stage, noticing two women in lingerie sprawled out on the bed.

As I got closer the brunette crawled towards me on the edge of the bed, her eyes dark.

"We've been waiting for you, Dean."

"You guys aren't real." I mumbled, swallowing hard as she stared at me.

"Trust me, sugar, it's gonna feel real."

"Come on." The blonde purred. "Let us give you a massage."

"You know, I'm a- I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Really, I am, but...I-I'm gonna have to pass." I said, taking a step back as the women pouted.

"They're a peace offering." A voice sounded behind me. I turned around, seeing the trickster sitting in the audience. "I know what you three do. I've been around a while. Run into your kind before."

"Well, then you know that I can't let you just keep hurting people."

"Come on! Those people got what was coming to them. Hoisted on their own petards. But you and Sam and Vicki – I like you. I do." He smiled, leaning forward. "And I know. I know things have been a little rocky between you and Victoria."

"Well-"

"Hey, you don't have to hide from me. That little spat outside just proved it." He said, a grin on his face. "Listen, this is the perfect situation, she never has to know. She'll never find out. You treat yourself, long as you want. Just long enough for me to move on to the next town."

"I don't think I can let you do that."

"I don't wanna hurt you. And you know that I can."

"Look, man, I- I got to tell you, I dig your style, alright? I mean, I do." I said, glancing back to the girls. "I mean, woo. And the slow-dancing alien-"

"One of my personal favorites." He smiled. "Yeah."

"But, uh, I can't let you go." I said.

"Too bad. Like I said, I like you. Sam was right. You shouldn't've come alone."

"Well, I'll agree with you there." I muttered, glancing over to the door as it flung open.

* * *

 **CRAWFORD HALL – NIGHT  
** TPOV

After Sam and I had gotten Bobby, the three of us quickly made our way back to the hall, trying to give Dean enough time to try and trick the trickster without giving too much time for anything bad to happen.

And here we were, about to bust in and hopefully end all this.

The three of us entered through the door of the theater, each of us holding a stake. The trickster turned towards us, quickly looking back to Dean. My eyes drifted over to Dean, then behind him to the stage with a bed and two half naked girls sprawled out on it. I raised an eyebrow, looking back to Dean with questioning eyes, reviving a shrug as a reply.

"That fight you guys had outside – that was a trick?" The trickster asked in disbelief. Dean nodded, a small smile on his face. "Not bad. But you want to see a real trick?"

Just then, I heard the rev of a chainsaw behind us, turning to see masked man with a chainsaw. He started swinging the chainsaw around and I ducked down just as the it swung over my head. Sam and Bobby started to fight him, the both of them barely doing any damage.

I was about to step in and help...somehow...when I felt someone grab the back of my hair, stopping me short. I turned around to see the blonde that was on the bed with the brunette standing there. She caught me off guard, punching me hard in the face. I stumbled backwards slightly, feeling a sharp pain in my head, before regaining my balance and quickly punching her back.

"Ooh, catfight!" The trickster giggled, a big smile on his face as he stuffed it with a sandwich.

Suddenly, the woman picked me up, throwing me to the ground in front of the stage just as the brunette threw Dean into one of the seats in the first row.

"Nice toss, ladies! Nice show." The trickster stood, clapping his hands as the blonde straddled me, punching me again. I quickly flipped her over on her back, punching her a few times.

"Dean!" I called, getting his attention, quickly throwing the stake to him. He took the trickster off guard, stabbing him in the chest.

As Dean pushed the stake in, the chainsaw man and both women disappeared from sight in a poof of smoke. With a grunt, Dean pulled stake out, and the trickster fell dead into the seat beneath him.

"You okay?" Dean asked, coming over to help me off the ground.

"Yeah." I nodded, looking up at him. "Dean, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For, you know, all of it." I muttered. "I shouldn't have accused you of what I did."

"You shouldn't have." He said, a small smile on his face.

"I know." I nodded. "Can you forgive me?"

"Hey, there's nothing to forgive. I was a dick, too."

"Are you calling me a dick?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I- uh- I-"

"Idjit." Bobby mumbled from the top of the theater.

"I didn't mean it that way, I-" I stopped Dean mid-sentence, pulling him down to place a kiss on his lips. He placed his hands on my waist, holding me close to him as I wrapped my arm around his neck, deepening the kiss.

"Alright already." Bobby complained, glaring at Dean as we pulled apart. "Now's not the time for that."

"Welp, I forgot they were there." Dean mumbled.

"Me too." I chuckled, resting my head against his chest.

"Bobby, thanks a lot." Sam said. "We really couldn't've-"

"Hey, save it! Let's just get the hell out of dodge before somebody finds that body." Bobby said, already leaving the theater.

Sam looked slightly dejected, moving to follow after him, pausing for a minute, looking back at Dean and I as we made our way up the isle together.

"Look, um... I just want to say that I'm, uh..."

"Hey. Me too." Dean said, lightly smacking Sam on the shoulder.

"Same here." I said, looking at Sam. "Sorry for punching you."

"It's okay." He shrugged, shooting me a small smile.

"We're all we've got, that's something we have to remember – always." I said. The three of us shared a little moment, nodding in agreement.

With a frustrated huff, Bobby popped his head back through the doors. "You guys are breaking my heart. Could we please just leave?"

"Okay, don't get your panties in a twist." I muttered.

"Oh, you're full of good ones today." Bobby grumbled. "Get the led out."

* * *

On our way outside, I stared to feel a little woozy, the pain in my head coming back with a vengeance. I realized I was suddenly leaning heavily on Dean for support as we walked along the grass towards the Impala.

"You okay?" Dean asked, wrapping an arm around my waste, noticing something was off.

"Ye- yeah." I mumbled, feeling my eyes starting to blur.

"What's the matter?" Bobby asked, making his way over to my other side.

"Tori, what's wrong?" Sam asked, turning around a few feet away.

"I just don- I don't feel very good." I muttered, rubbing my head. "I think I just need to lay down."

Suddenly, my knees gave out from under me and Dean caught me, holding me upright in his arms as my eyes blurred even more, opening and closing rapidly.

"Tori?" Dean asked worriedly, holding my head up when it started to fall back. "Tori!"

"Get her to the car!" Bobby shouted. I felt Dean pick me up, cradling me in his arms as he rushed towards the car.

Then everything went black.

* * *

 **Cliffhangers are the best,** **right** **? ;)**

 **Special thanks to _Ladysunshine6_ for that extra little idea, I really liked it and wanted to add it in some way. I hope I'll be doing it justice for you!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I'll be back to check on this at some point for any mistakes.**

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 **Twitter: phoenixfire779**

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	16. Whisper

_Catch me as I fall  
Say you're here and it's all over now  
Speaking to the atmosphere  
No one's here and I fall into myself  
This truth drives me into madness  
_… _._

 _I'm frightened by what I see  
But somehow I know that there's much more to come  
Immobilized by my fear  
And soon to be blinded by tears  
I know I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away  
_…

 _Don't turn away  
(Don't give in to the pain)  
Don't try to hide  
(Though they're screaming your name)  
Don't close your eyes  
(God knows what lies behind them)  
Don't turn out the light  
(Never sleep never die) _

_Servatis a periculum  
(_ _ **Save us from danger**_ _)  
Servatis a maleficum  
(_ _ **Save us from evil**_ _)_

 ** _Evanescence – Whisper_**

* * *

I was out of my mind. I couldn't sit still, I couldn't stand still, I couldn't stop fidgeting. I knew my constant pacing was starting to annoy Sam, but I just couldn't help it. Every sound, every noise, I practically jumped out of my skin.

After Tori passed out at the college, we rushed straight to the hospital. She was put into a medically induced coma to prevent anymore swelling in her brain than there already was from her injury.

According to the doctor it's _only been a day and she only has a concussion._

I nearly knocked his teeth out when he said that like it was just no big deal.

"Dean, would you just relax? Please?" Sam asked from the chair in the corner of the room, looking up at me with tears in his eyes.

"I can't, Sam." I sighed, looking back to Tori lying unconscious in the hospital bed. It was just wrong to see her laying there still and not moving.

"We should've taken her to the hospital after- after what happened." Sam muttered, his eyes low to the ground. "Dean I- I'm sorry-"

"Sam." I shook my head, silently telling him to stop. I knew he blamed himself for what happened to Tori, but it wasn't his fault. And I'd told him that countless times, but it didn't matter.

Bobby came back into the room then, barely even glancing at Tori. He didn't want to see her like that either.

"How are you boys?" He asked, sitting in the chair next to Sam.

"What do you think?" I snapped. Bobby and Sam exchanged a tired look, both of them getting the brunt of my anger since we've been in this damn place.

"She's tough, Dean. She'll pull through."

"It's been-"

"Don't be so goddamn negative." Bobby scolded, shaking his head. "Have a little faith, huh? Vic would appreciate it. And sit down, you're driving me bonkers."

"Fine." I huffed, sitting in the chair next to Tori's bed. I watched her for a moment, forgetting Bobby and Sam in the room, placing my hand on her forehead, smoothing her hair back. "What's going in there there, huh?"

* * *

TPOV

My breathing picked up, my heart pounding erratically in my chest as I opened my eyes to a dark room. I quickly stood, feeling my bare feet on the cold wood floors. I put my hands out, trying to feel my way through the darkness, hoping I wouldn't trip over anything.

"Dean!" I called into the dark. "Sam!"

I made it about two more feet before hitting into a wall. I followed it, making my way to another wall only a few feet away. The claustrophobia started to build up inside of me as I slowly realized I was in a small, box-like room.

Trying not to panic, I stood still for a moment, pulling in slow breaths. Once I was at least a bit more calm, I started moving again, only to hit another wall a few seconds later. Suddenly, a bright light shined through the room, forcing me to shield my eyes from it.

* * *

DPOV

I watched from the corner of the room as the doctor lifted Tori's eyelids one by one, shining a light into her eyes.

"Well, she's looking better." The doctor mumbled, looking over his chart. "Her vials are improving. The swelling in her brain has gone down quite a bit."

"Thank god." Sam sighed in relief.

"How much longer until she wakes up?" I asked.

The doctor glanced up at me, staring blankly for a moment before taking a deep breath, looking back down. "Well, in her case, she had quite a bit of swelling. Even though she's improving, I'd like to keep her like this for another day or so, see how things go then."

"Shit." I huffed, throwing myself down into a chair. That wasn't the answer I was hoping for.

"I just want to make sure I'm doing the best for Miss Hancock. Rushing her through this would not be good for recovery. She needs to take time to heal."

I nodded, watching as he mumbled something about being back later to check on her, heading out of the room.

Bobby pushed himself out of the chair with an audible breath, glancing back to Sam and I. "I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria for some coffee. Either of you want anything?"

"No thanks." Sam muttered.

"No." I mumbled, glancing down to my shoe. A moment of silence passed and I could feel eyes on me. I looked up to see the both of them staring at me, eyes wide. "What?"

"You don't want food?" Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." I repeated.

"Alright then." Bobby grumbled, leaving the room.

I glanced over to Sam, seeing him still staring at me. "What the hell is your problem?"

"I don't think I've ever seen you turn down food."

"Well, I'm just a little upset right now." I said sarcastically.

"I know, I know. Sorry." Sam apologized, still staring at me with wide, concerned eyes.

"Alright, what the fuck, Sam?"

"What?"

"Stop staring at me."

"I think you should sleep a little."

"I'm fine-"

"Dean you haven't slept since we've been here."

"So? I want to be awake-"

"Dean, Tori's not waking up yet." Sam said cautiously. "This is all under control. The doctor will take her out of the coma when he feels she's ready."

"I know, Sam." I muttered, rubbing my face.

"Get some rest." Sam said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I peered glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow. "She'll need you when she's awake, Dean. You can't be out of it."

Even though I rolled my eyes, I knew that he was right. Tori would need me.

"If the doctor comes back in-"

"I'll get you up." Sam said. "Don't worry."

"Alright." I nodded, leaning back in the chair.

* * *

TPOV 

Once the bright light was gone, my eyes could finally adjust back to the darkness. I leaned against the wall, keeping my mind focused on the breaths I was taking, making sure they stayed steady.

"Dean! Sam!" I called again, hoping someone would answer me. The only response was more eerie silence, the only sound in the room was the pull of my breaths. "Anybody?"

After a moment,I slid down the wall, tucking my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I had no idea what was going on, but what I did know was that I was getting more and paranoid by the second.

Out of instinct, I picked up the charm hanging around my neck, moving it in between my fingers.

It was the only thing that genuinely calmed me right now.

* * *

DPOV

I'd nearly slept through the whole entire night, the sun just starting to come up behind the clouds when I woke up. I'd asked Sam if the doctor had come in, but he told me no. Only a few nurses to just check up on her.

I didn't know whether to think that was a good thing or a bad thing.

All I knew was, I was getting impatient. There had to have been something more that they could do for her. Anything.

Sam had left the room, heading down to the cafe with Bobby for some coffee. I didn't want to leave Tori, so they said they're bring something up for me. Through, I probably wouldn't have it anyway.

I could only compare what I was feeling right now to sheer panic. Only it wasn't the normal kind of panic, it was deep inside my chest. A lingering feeling that didn't seem to leave. Even when I had fallen asleep, I still felt it. That heavy feeling of something weighing down my chest so I couldn't take a full breath.

"God, I miss you." I murmured, tucking a lock of hair behind Tori's ear, brushing my fingers against her cheek. "It's not the same around here without you always telling me to shut up."

I chuckled lightly, feeling tears pooling my eyes. I tried my hardest to blink them away, but it was no use.

"You have to come back, you know that right? You can't leave. You can't go." I mumbled. "Please, don't leave."

* * *

TPOV

"You can't leave." A muffled voice sounded, echoing throughout the room. I looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Hello?" I called, standing back up. I started walking towards the center of the room, listening in for the voice again.

"You can't go." The voice spoke, sounding a bit more clear this time.

"Dean?!" I exclaimed, a feeling of relief flooding through me. "Where are you?"

"Please, don't leave."

"I- I'm not." I stumbled, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I love you." He said, his voice breaking. "So much."

My heart broke hearing him say those words. Those three simple words that he very rarely ever said. With that, I stopped mid-stride, a feeling of worry coming over me.

Something's wrong.

"Dean, where are you?" I asked, squinting in the darkness as silence took over again. "Dean, no, answer me!"

Suddenly, the room was a little bit brighter, but still dimly lit. I walked to the middle of the room, feeling warmth on the bottom of my feet. I looked down, my eyes going wide when I saw that I was standing in a pool of blood. I jumped back, slipping and landing on the floor. My breathing picked up again as I stared in horror at all the blood everywhere. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping everything would go away once I opened them.

And that was the biggest mistake of my life. Once I opened my eyes, I let out a blood curdling scream, immediately shutting my eyes. But it didn't matter, the image stuck, flashing behind my eyelids.

On the floor in front of me was a body. Dean's body. He laid there, blood pouring from the slash in his throat.

* * *

DPOV

Suddenly, Tori's heart monitor started beeping frantically, her blood pressure rising rapidly. I quickly ran to the doorway, yelling for a nurse to come in just as Sam and Bobby were walking down the hallway back to the room.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, the both of them running over as a fewnursesrushed into the room.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, trying to follow the nursesin the room.

"I'm sorry, you have to stay out." One of the nurses muttered, trying to stay calm as one of the other women called a doctor.

"No-"

"I'm sorry, sir." She apologized. "Please stay here."

"No, I-"

"Dean, stop." Bobby said, holding my arm as the nurse went back into the room to Tori's side. Bobby kept a firm grasp on my arm while we all stood in the doorway, watching as the nurses staring sticking censers to Tori's chest and arms.

"This can't happen again!" I shouted, looking back at them as tears streamed down my face. "Not to her! I can't lose her!"

* * *

TPOV

I crawled away until my back hit the wall, hearing my screams echo throughout the darkness. I looked down to my arms and legs, seeing the blood still covering them. I frantically tried to wipe it off, tears streaming down my face when I realized I was only making it worse by smearing it everywhere.

Out of nowhere, what sounded like a million voices talking over each other started echoing in the room. Each word overlapping the other so I couldn't understand one single world that was being said. I felt like I was going insane, pressing my palms over my ears to try and stop the noise.

Only that didn't work, I still heard everything loud and clear.

* * *

DPOV

After the doctor came, he asked us to sit outside of the room to wait while they stabilized her. It was almost scary to think that the feelings I felt before have only intensified. I couldn't concentrate on anything, keeping my eyes trained to the ground as I waited for the doctor to come out. Bobby and Sam were both quiet, each of us seemingly having mentally checked out.

The sound of the door opening caught my attention and I finally looked up to see the doctor coming out, a small smile on his face.

"Well?" I asked, already impatient.

"She went into sort of shock-like state." He told us. "Her heart-rate accelerated."

"Yeah, got that." I spat, shaking my head. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's stable now, but this sets us back a bit. I think we're gonna have to keep her under longer than expected."

"How much longer?" Bobby asked gruffly.

The doctor took a deep breath, looking between us cautiously. "I'm not sure exactly, but I would say at least another week. Or two."

"A week or two?" I asked, my eyes wide. "Isn't there anything else you can do?"

"Sir, we're doing all we can." He muttered. "We want to make sure-"

"That she can recover, I know." I said, dismissively. "Can I go see her?"

"Yes." The doctor nodded. "I'll be back to check on her in a bit."

"Sure, yeah." I mumbled, heading into the room. As soon as I entered, I went right to her side, taking her hand in mine.

* * *

TPOV

After that voice rang through the room, I didn't move, I barely even breathed. I was so confused, I just wished this, whatever it was, would end.

I tucked my knees to my chest again, resting my forehead down on them, trying to ignore the smell of blood that hung around me in the air.

"I just don't get it."

My head snapped up and I looked around as Dean's voice sounded through the room again, but this time, instead of trying to talk to him, I just listened.

"Why is this happening?" He asked.

"I- I don't know."

Sam?

"She'll be oka-"

"Really, Bobby?" Dean asked. Wait, Bobby was there, too? "Did you not see what just happened? Were you not here?"

"Don't get snippy with me, boy." Bobby said, his tone turning from stern to sad in an instant. "This is hard for all of us."

"I just- I don't know what it would be like to not have her here." Dean muttered. "I don't- I can't-"

"You're never gonna have to find out." Bobby said simply. "Remember what I said, have a some faith."

* * *

DPOV

It was dark out again, another day passing without Tori. If someone ever told me eleven years ago that I would ever love somebody so much to the point of feeling physical pain at the very thought of losing them, I probably would've laughed in their face.

But as sappy as it sounds, I'd be dammed if my heart wasn't literally breaking right now.

I glanced up from Tori's face, seeing both Bobby and Sam passed out in their chairs, completely out of it. I couldn't help but think back to what Bobby said before about having faith.

 _Faith_.

What the hell would would that do? I've had faith before, and nothing good ever came from it. What's the point?

My eyes trailed back down to Tori. I watched her for a few moments, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

I can't believe I'm about to do this.

"Uh, God- shit, I'm really not good at this stuff." I mumbled quietly, shaking my head. "I probably shouldn'thave said shit, huh?" I paused, taking another breath. "I just- I can't lose her. She's everything. She been through too much already, she doesn't need this."

* * *

TPOV

I listened to Dean's voice as he spoke softly, taking in what he was saying. Was he...praying?

"I don't know what else to say." Dean muttered. "If I could just ask for one thing, that would be it. Don't take her from me."

Don't take her from me?

That one sentence confused me beyond belief. What was wrong? Was I- am I...dying?

No, I- I can't be...

Suddenly, images started flashing in my head like a movie fast-forwarding on an old VCR. I clutched my temples, shutting my eyes as my head pounded.

Sam's eyes went pitch black as he stood in front of me, a sinister smile on his lips. I flinched back from the sight, fear spreading through me. "Does this scare you?"

I felt a sharp pain fly through my arm as Sam pulled it backwards, holding me tightly. With a flick of his wrist, I flew back into the wall, landing hard, hitting my head. I felt warmth pooling through my hair, reaching back to feel the blood that started dripping from a gash in my head.

"You know when people want to describe the worse possible thing? They say it's like hell." He said, kneeling down in front of Dean, holding the collar of Dean's shirt tightly, pushing him hard in the jaw.

"No!" I screamed, feeling the tears run down my cheeks.

I shut my eyes tighter as the memories poured through, feeling as through they were literally rattling my brain.

"I just can't wait for the moment I use that pretty little body of yours to bleed Dean dry." Sam sneered. "I'll make you bathe in his blood."

Without even knowing it, a scream slightly resembling the word no bubbled through my lips before I could stop it. I covered my ears with my hands again as I remembered.

"You okay?" Dean asked, wrapping an arm around my waste.

"Ye- yeah." I mumbled. "I just don- I don't feel very good."

As we walked my knees shook, giving out from under me. Dean quickly held me upright, picking me up in his arms.

And with that, the memories stopped.

My eyes snapped open, the brightness of the room took me by surprise and I flinched back. Once my eyes adjusted a bit more, I looked down to my arms and legs, a feeling of relief spreading through me when I saw that they were completely clean and free of blood.

I looked up to the middle of the room where Dean had been, seeing nothing there at all.

* * *

DPOV 

We'd been here just about a week already and I was starting to lose hope. All the doctor ever said was that she was looking better, but he never gave a definitive answer, something that really pissed me off.

I didn't know what to do anymore. All I did was sit next to her, waiting.

"I think I have some news that will make you very happy." The doctor said, entering the room unannounced.

"Jesus." I mumbled, trying not to show the fact that he scared the shit out of me.

"What is it?" Sam asked, sitting upright.

"Her vitals are looking amazing."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. So, I'm going to cut back on the anesthesia." He said, looking at us happily. His face dropped a bit when he realized we were all waiting for a longer explanation than that. "That way she'll be able to wake up whenever she's ready."

"When will that be?" I asked, getting a little too excited.

"Whenever she's ready. Could be today, could be a week from now."

"Okay." I nodded. "But this- this is good, right?"

"Definitely." The doctor smiled, leaving the room.

* * *

I didn't know what I was expecting. I guess I just let my happiness completely take over and kick out rational thinking. Tori had been through a lot and she needed time to heal. Which meant that a day later, she still wasn't awake yet.

But it was okay, because every day her vitals got better. Every day there was more of a chance for her to wake up.

* * *

That night Sam had convinced Bobby to head to a motel to get some actual rest. He wanted to seemed concerned, but I knew Sam was getting fed up with having to hear Bobby complain about his back all the time.

I flicked through the channels on the TV, resting my arm on the bar attached to the bed. Sam snored softly from one of the chairs, but other than that, it was quite.

As I sat there in the silence of the room, I thought about how I've never gone this long without hearing her voice. I rolled my eyes at myself as tears starting forming in them again. Boy, did this girl turn me into a sap.

I looked down at her, running my thumb over her cheek. "Come on, Tori. You have to wake up. Please wake up."

* * *

TPOV

 _I looked up from the middle of the room, seeing the faint outline of a door on the wall across the room. Unable to stop my curiosity, I stood up from my spot on the floor and cautiously made my way over to it, taking slow steps._

 _Even though I felt like I was walking extremely slow, I somehow managed to make it there in what felt like a second. I reached for the doorknob, turning it and pulling the door open._

 _My eyes opened to see a pair crystal clear ones staring down at me. They were a mixture of blue and green, and possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. A shield of long, dark hair hung in my face, tickling it slightly._

 _"It's okay. Don't cry." The soothing voice whispered from above me._

 _A moment of silence passed before the woman started humming along to the end of the song, starting to sing in a light, airy voice as it started over._

 _"Don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better..."_

 _I couldn't see the woman's face, but for some reason, I felt completely at ease in her presence – like nothing was wrong in the world._

 _"Anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders." She sang, closing her eyes as she paused, listening to the music for a little bit before starting again. "So let it out, and let it in. Hey Jude, begin."_

 _The sound of her voice almost made me want to cry, but I held it in, just listening._

 _"You are so special." She muttered, a smile in her voice as she let out a sigh, placing a hand on my cheek."You never have to be afraid, Victoria. No matter what happens, just remember – angels are watching over you."_

* * *

As my eyes slowly fluttered open, my first thought was about the dream I'd just had. I didn't know the woman in it. But all of the signs pointed to someone in particular, though I'd never dreamt about her before. I didn't even know what she looked like.

But it had to have been...it just made sense for it to be my mother. Why I'd thought up that dream – or memory, or whatever – was beyond me.

I heard a small beep next to me.I looked over to my right to see a bunch of monitors and machines there. I followed the line of an IV back to my arm, seeing all the wires that were attached to me.

"Dean?" I croaked, my throat dry and raspy.

Dean turned around so quickly, it almost looked painful. He stared at me for a moment, his green eyes wide and his mouth popped open slightly. "Tori?"

"Wh-?"

"Holy shit, Tori!" He exclaimed, jumping out of his seat, practically lying on top of me in the bed as he kissed my forehead, burying his face into the crook of my neck.

"Dean- I- Dean-" I called, slightly pushing him off of me. When he realized what I was doing, he looked down at me with with worried, questioning eyes. "Ow."

"I'm sorry, baby." He muttered, shooting me a breath taking smile as he moved back, tears in his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Just been a long week."

"Week?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You were out for a week."

"What?" I exclaimed,completely shocked.

"Hey, hey. Calm down. Relax, don't get worked up." Dean said in a quiet voice, glancing across the room toa sleeping Sam. "Sammy!"

"What?!" Sam yelled, practically flying out of the chair. He looked panicked until his eyes landed on me, a look of relief clear in his eyes as he flew out of the chair and over to my side. "Tori, oh my god, are you okay?"

"I think so." I mumbled. "My throats really dry."

"Okay, okay." Sam nodded, making his way to the door. "I'll get a nurse."

"So what happened exactly?" I asked, looking up at Dean. He took my hand in his, the one that wasn't hooked up to a million things, and squeezed it.

"You passed out. They put you in a coma to stop the swelling."

"From hitting my head." I muttered, the flashback of me being thrown against the wall replaying in my head.

"Yeah."

"Well, good morning Miss Hancock." A nurse smiled, making her way in the room with a cup of ice, a doctor following her close behind. I glanced up at Dean, raising an eyebrow at the name. He just shrugged, looking up at the doctor.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Okay." I nodded, taking the cup from the nurse.

"Great." He smiled. "I'm just gonna check up on a few things okay?"

"Yeah."

* * *

While the doctor was examining me, Sam went and called Bobby, who had apparently left to go get some rest in a motel room. Something I wish they all had done, as I had learned both Sam and Dean slept here for a week straight. At least Bobby had some sense to go sleep in an actual bed.

"Vic?" Bobby called, making his way into the room.

"Hi." I muttered, smiling up at him.

"Well, if I don't have the worst damn timing in the world." He grumbled, looking a little guilty.

"Bobby, you needed the rest." I said, holding my arms out. "Give me a hug."

With a small smile, Bobby came over, giving me a light hug. When he pulled back, I saw the glisten of tears in his eyes. "Aw, don't cry on me."

"I ain't cryin'." Bobby said, trying to discreetly wipe a tear off his cheek as he turned towards Sam. "What'd the doctor say?"

"She's doing great." Sam said, smiling. "They wanna keep her for a couple days just to make sure though."

"Alright." Bobby nodded, making his way over to one of the chairs.

"Tori?" Sam started, an uncomfortable look on his face as he approached the bed.

"What's the matter, Sam?"

"I just wanted to- I wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in here." He muttered, looking down.

"Sam Winchester, I don't even want to hear that." I said, my voice stern. "Believe me, I know all to well the guilt that follows a thing like that, but I've also learned that you can't blame yourself for something that was completely out of your control."

"Just say you forgive me." He said, his eyes tearing up.

"There's nothing to forgive, Shorty." I smiled, holding my arms out for him. He made his way over to the bed, leaning down to give me a hug.

"Thank you."

"I must look like shit." I complained, trying to change the subject as he stood back up.

"No."

"You can never look like shit." Dean smiled.

"I find it hard to believe that after a week of...sleep, that I don't look at least a little gross."

"Never."

"Wow, laying it on a little thick there, huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." Dean said, leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead. I smiled at him as he pulled back, tucking some hair behind my ear.

"Um, Bobby, you wanna head down to the cafe?" Sam asked, looking back at Bobby.

"Uh-huh." Bobby grumbled, following Sam out.

Once Dean and I were alone, a comfortable silence filled the room. He sat down in the chair next to me, holding my hand, staring into my eyes.

"Are you ever gonna blink?" I asked, shooting him a smile.

"Nope." Dean muttered. "I could look at you forever."

"Do you use those lines on every girl straight out of a coma?"

"Only the pretty ones." Dean smiled, shooting me a wink.

"Oh, okay." I chuckled.

The smile on Dean's face faded into a look of seriousness as he watched me, taking a deep breath. "I thought I lost you."

The words I heard Dean say when I was out replayed in my head. "You can't leave. You can't go."

"I'm not going anywhere." I said, holding his hand tightly as images of him lying in a pool of blood with his throat slid ran through my head. "As long as you promise you won't leave me."

"Never."

"I heard you, you know."

"When?" Dean asked.

"When I was out." I said, shooting him a sly look. "You prayed."

"Oh, well, uh-"

"Dean, it's okay." I smiled as he looked down. "Praying is good."

"I guess it worked." Dean shrugged, looking up at me.

"I guess it did." I nodded, letting a few moments of silence pass when I finally decided I needed to tell him what happened. "You know, I saw- some stuff happened while I was out, too. It was pretty...scary."

Scary's not even close.

"What happened?"

"There was...well, remember what Meg said?"

"What about it?" Dean asked through gritted teeth, clearly not happy with Meg being brought up.

"About me...ki-" I stopped, swallowing hard. "Remember what she said?"

"I remember." Dean nodded, knowing I didn't want to say it. "What did you see?"

"Please don't think I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy."

"You were- you were dead." I choked out, watching Dean closely for his response. He was obviously surprised, blinking a few times as he stared at me.

"What?"

"There was blood everywhere." I muttered, getting lost in the thought as tears filled my eyes.

"Tori." Dean called, his voice sounding like it was far away. "Tori!"

"What?" I asked, the sudden volume of his voice snapping me out of it.

"That's not gonna happen." Dean said, his voice full of conviction. "I will never let that bitch or any other piece of shit touch you, ever. As long as I'm around, they will never get to you, do you hear me?"

I nodded, looking up at him with tear stained cheeks. Dean wiped the tears away with his thumb, cradling my face in his palm as he leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

"I love you." I muttered as he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine.

"I love you, too." Dean said sheepishly, a small smile on his face. I was a bit taken a-back by the fact that he'd actually said it, but it felt amazing hearing it all the same.

After a while we just kind of fell into a comfortable silence, and as much as I loved being able to just sit with Dean for hours and not have to say a word, it was hard for me to keep the thoughts of what I'd seen while I was under out of my head.

The whole thing was just like one long nightmare, something I was used to. But this, it was...taxing. There were so many emotions thrown at me all at once, and strangely enough, all I wanted to do right now was sleep.

But I didn't. I stayed awake, smiling at Dean every time glanced over at me, thinking I wouldn't notice him checking. After it got late and I told him to go back to the motel and get some rest, he refused, saying that sleeping in that chair for a few more nights wouldn't bother him.

Even though images of black eyes and pools of blood popped up inside my head every now and then, I took comfort in knowing Dean was here. It was times like this when I fully realized how strong our relationship really was.

We would do anything for each other.

I knew that no matter what, he would always protect me, just like he said _._ And I would always protect him, whatever the cost.

* * *

 **Yay for my second completely original chapter! It is quite a bit shorter than others, but that was just because I didn't want to drag it out longer than necessary. Also, jst some warning, I may go back and redo the very end, but it won't be very a drastic change, so don't worry. Mostly for my own peace of mind if I get another idea.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope liked it! :D**

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 **Twitter: phoenixfire779  
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	17. Road Kill

_Playground school bell rings  
Again  
Rain clouds come to play  
Again  
Has no one told you she's not breathing?  
Hello  
I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to  
Hello_

…

 _If I smile and don't believe  
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream  
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken  
Hello  
I'm the lie living for you so you can't hide  
Don't cry _

…

 _Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping  
Hello?  
I'm still here  
All that's left of yesterday _

_**Evanescence – Hello**_

* * *

I'd spent a few more days in the hospital, impatiently waiting to be released. The doctor said that I'd made a full recovery, but to not do anything too strenuous. When we went back to the motel, Bobby left, but not before making me promise to call him more often to let him know how I was doing.

We decided to stay in the motel another night, so I went on the laptop to see whats been going on in the world while I was unconscious. After a while of being on the computer, clicking link after link, I finally came upon something interesting. A string of accidents that occurred on the same highway, in the same spot, on the same day over the last fifteen years.

"Huh." I mumbled, looking a little closer at the screen as I read the fine print of the old article I'd found.

"Should you be that close to such a bright screen?" Dean asked, his voice full of worry.

"Dean the light from a laptop isn't going to hurt me any." I said, shooting him a small smile.

"Just be careful."

"I know." I nodded. "Wanna hear something interesting?"

"Sure."

"Highway forty-one in Nevada."

"Riveting."

"Actually, it is." I said, turning the screen around to show him and Sam the article. "Twelve accidents over fifteen years, all happening on the same date. Five of them were fatal."

"So Interstate dead zone?" Dean asked. "Phantom hitchhiker?"

"I don't think so. Year after year, every witness described the exact same thing that made them crash. A woman appearing the middle of the road being chased by a man covered in...blood." I muttered, squeezing out the last word.

Ugh. More blood.

"Two spooks?"

"We should go check it out."

"No, I don't think that-"

"Dean, I'm fine."

"You're not supposed to do anything stressful."

"Yeah, and what's so stressful about two ghosts?" I asked, furrowing my brow as I realized what I'd just said. "Our lives are really freaking weird."

"Tori, I think I have to agree with Dean." Sam said. "Even though this sounds like our kind of this-"

"It _is_ our kind of thing."

"Okay, it is. But I don't think you should get back out there just yet."

"People are getting hurt, Sam. It's gonna happen again in a few days. This one might be fatal. Sure others weren't, but who knows? We can stop this."

* * *

 **MISSOURI – DAY  
Eleven years ago **

I didn't know whether to be exited or nervous or absolutely terrified about today's events. I couldn't decide on one emotion, feeling all of them at once as I sat on the edge of a motel bed, playing with the ends of my hair.

Today I was going on my first hunt. I tried to act like I was ready for this, but I wasn't too sure.

We were heading to a place here in Missouri where a few kids had gone inside an old _haunted_ house at night for fun...only one of them didn't make it out. The others that did survive claimed that a ghost had murdered their friend.

In his own words, John figured that this would be some _simple to ease me into it_. But I didn't really get how one could be eased into digging up a grave to _salt and_ _burn_ the remains of a ghost that murdered an innocent teenager.

"Hey." Dean said, startling me as he entered the motel room.

"Jesus." I sighed.

"Sorry." Dean chuckled, leaning against the table, watching me closely. "So, you ready to go? Dad and Sammy are waiting in the car."

I swallowed hard, standing up slowly. "Yeah."

"Tori, you don't have to worry." Dean said, making his way over to me. "Nothing's gonna happen to you."

"I'm not worried." I lied.

"You don't have to act brave either, you know."

"I'm not."

Dean stared at me for a moment, something telling me by the way he looked that he knew I was lying. Without another word, he picked up the last bag from the floor, opening the front door for me.

* * *

 **NEVADA – DAY  
Present **

Eventually, I got the boys to agree to head out to Nevada to check this out. I just needed something to do, something to take my mind off of things. If anyone should be able to understand that it would be them.

Once there, we headed to a local library, finding a few old articles about the death of Molly McNamara and Jonah Greeley. After obtaining more information on the two, we went over to Molly's husbands home to see if we could find out where she was buried.

Only we found out that Molly wasn't buried, she was cremated.

"So much for burning her bones." Dean muttered from the driver seat of the Impala, glancing back at me with a pointed look.

"Don't look at me like that, I had no idea."

"We shouldn't have come-"

"Dean, it's fine." I uttered for what felt like the millionth time in the past five minutes. "I will tell you if I don't feel right. I promised to, didn't I?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, pulling in a deep breath."

"So if she was cremated, then what's keeping her here?" Sam asked.

"I might have an idea." I muttered, watching David as he exited his house, ready for a day of work. "I think I know what we have to do."

* * *

 **HIGHWAY FORTY-ONE – NIGHT**

The Impala drove along the dark, wet road lined with miles of trees on either side. We were getting close to the time that every single accident was reported and I could feel myself getting anxious.

"This is stupid." Dean complained.

"Do you have any other ideas?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, glancing over at me. "Let's get out of here and head to Vegas for a while."

"Our luck is not good enough for us to go to Vegas, Dean." I said, staring out the window for the mile marker. "We're getting close."

Suddenly, a dark-haired woman ran out from the trees, standing in the middle of the road, panic-stricken as she cried for us to stop. Dean slammed on the breaks, and I nearly went flying forwards, stopped by the seat belt.

The car barely rolled to a stop before the woman ran around to the passenger side, banging on the window.

"You've got to help me." She said, her voice shaking as I rolled down the window. "Please. Please!"

"Okay, okay. Relax, what happened?" I asked, trying to be as soothing as possible.

"My husband and I- we -we were driving and- and then...I-I swerved and we crashed. And when I came to, the car was wrecked and my husband was missing. I went looking for him, but that's when the man from the road, he- he started chasing me." She said all in one breath.

"Okay." I nodded, getting out of the car along with Sam to stand by her as Dean went and parked the Impala to the side of the road. "What did this guy look like?"

"Well, he- he- um-"

"Did he look like he lost a fight with a lawn mower?" Dean asked, approaching us.

"How did you know that?" The woman muttered, bewildered.

"Lucky guess."

"Ma'am, what's your name?" Sam asked politely.

"Molly. Molly McNamara." She stuttered. I nodded, exchanging a quick _told you so_ glanced with Dean and Sam.

"I think maybe you should come with us." Sam said. "We'll take you back into town."

"I can't. I have to find David. He might have gone back to the car."

"We should get you somewhere safe first. Then we'll come back and look for your husband."

"No. I'm not leaving here without him. Would you just take me back to my car, please?" She asked, her eyes pleading.

"Okay." I nodded, walking towards the Impala. "Come on."

* * *

 **CRASH SITE – NIGHT**

"It's right over there." Molly said, coming upon a ditch overrun with weeds and plants. "I don't understand. I'm sure this is where it was. W- we hit that tree right there. This- this doesn't make any sense."

"Be careful." I told her, watching as she went to investigate the ditch. I turned back to the boys, making sure to speak in a low tone so Molly couldn't hear. "Guys, we have to figure something out and get going. Greeley could show up any second."

"What are you gonna tell her?" Dean asked.

"The truth?" Sam said obviously.

"I don't know if she'll take too well to that." I muttered.

"What choice do we have?"

"What if we loose her?"

The three of us stopped immediately, hearing the sound of footsteps behind us as Molly made her way back up the bank. "I know it sounds crazy, but I crashed into that tree. I don't know who could've taken it. It was totaled. Please. You have to believe me.

"We believe you." I told her. "But that's why we want to get you out of here."

"What about David? Something must have happened. I have to get to the cops."

"Cops... hat's a great idea." Dean said. "We'll take you down to the station ourselves. So just come with us. It's the best way we can help you and your husband."

"Okay."

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

Molly sat silently in the backseat next to me as Dean drove the Impala back in the direction we'd come from. I had to admit, it was weird sitting next to a ghost. But I wanted to help her.

"We're supposed to be in lake Tahoe." She mumbled, starling me slightly.

"You and your husband?" I asked.

"It's our five-year anniversary."

"A hell of an anniversary." Dean mumbled.

"Right before we were having the dumbest fight." She sighed. "It was the only time we ever really argued...when we were stuck in the car."

That's a shame. It's crazy to think how different things could be for people. Whenever Dean and I were along together in a car, it seemed to be some of the best moments we'd ever had.

"You know the last thing I said to him? I called him a jerk." Molly continued, throwing her head in her hands. "Oh, god. What if that's the last thing I said to him?"

"Molly, we're gonna find out what happened to him, okay? I promise." I told her, a small, comforting smile on my face. She looked up at me, tears practically streaming down her cheeks, nodding slowly.

Just then the radio turned to static, playing a distorted version of _House of the Rising Sun_ as it went in and out repeatedly.

"Did you?" Dean asked, looking up at Sam in question.

"No."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"This song..." Molly murmured.

"What?" Dean asked.

"It was playing when we crashed."

The radio crackled again, loud static blaring through the speakers when suddenly, the song stopped and a deep, grisly, voice broke through.

" _She's mine. She's mine. She's mine_."

"What is that?" Molly asked, her voice full of fear. Suddenly, Greeley appeared in the middle of the road, and without a pause, Dean floored it.

"Hold on."

"What are you doing?!" Molly shrieked, her eyes wide. Dean ignored her, driving straight through the spirit, causing him to vanish in a puff of smoke around the car. "What the- what the hell just happened?"

"Don't worry, Molly. Everything's gonna be alright." Sam said, trying to comfort her as the Impala began to shutter underneath us, shaking as it sputtered.

"Spoke a little too soon, Sammy." Dena mumbled, trying to keep the car moving as it coasted to a stop at the side of the road. Dean huffed, trying to start it again, to no avail.

"He's not gonna let her leave." I muttered.

"Shit." Dean sighed, stepping out of the car. I got out too, followed closely by Sam and Molly as we now stood by the Impala in the deserted street, nothing but dark trees surrounding us.

"This can't be happening." Molly said.

"Trust me. It's happening." Dean mumbled, heading around the back of the car to the trunk where he started pulling out guns and various other weapons. Molly noticed this, starting to back away slowly.

"Well...okay. Thanks for helping, but I think I got it covered from here."

"Wait, Molly." I called, moving after her with my hands out. "Hang on."

"Just leave me alone." She said, starting to walk away.

"I'll take care of this." I told the boys, making my way down the road after her. "Molly, please, you have to listen-"

"Just stay away."

"It wasn't just some coincidence that we found you." I told her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, turning back slightly.

"We weren't just cruising for chicks when we ran into you, sister. We were already out here. Hunting." Dean said from his spot back at the trunk.

"Hunting for what?"

"Ghosts." Dean said, leaving Sam and I slack-jawed.

"D- d- don't sugarcoat it for her." Sam said, exasperated.

"Jesus, Dean." I muttered, shaking my head. "Have some control."

"She's gotta know!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms out to the side.

"You're nuts." She said, backing away again.

"Really? About as nuts as a vanishing guy with his guts spilling out." Dean said. Molly folded her arms, looking around uncomfortably. "You know what you saw."

"Okay, thank you, Dean." I said, holding a hand out to tell him to shut up.

"We think his name is Jonah Greeley. He was a local farmer that died fifteen years ago on this highway." Sam told her.

"Just...stop." Molly muttered.

"One night a year on the anniversary of his death, he haunts this road." I told her cautiously. "That's why we're here. To try and stop him."

"Now, I suppose this... _ghost_ made my car disappear, too."

"Crazier things have happened, huh?" Dean said.

"You know what? I'm all filled up on crazy. I'm gonna get the cops myself."

"I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't think you're gonna get too far." Dean said rather harshly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Molly asked, clearly taking that as a threat.

"Means that plan A was trying to get you out of here. Obviously that didn't go over too well with, uh, _Farmer Roadkill_."

"Molly, as hard as it is to digest, we're telling the truth." I said.

"Greeley's not gonna let you leave this highway." Sam finished.

"You're s- you're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Deadly." Dean said, his voice low.

"Would you stop it?" I asked, looking over to him.

"Every year, Greeley finds someone to punish for what happened to him. Tonight that person is you." Sam told her.

"Why me?" She asked. "I didn't do anything."

"Some spirits only see what they want." I said.

"So you're saying this...Greeley, he took my husband?" She asked, running a worried hand through her hair. "Oh, god."

"Molly, look, we're gonna help, alright? But first, you gotta help us." Sam said.

"Help you? How?"

* * *

 **MISSOURI – NIGHT  
Eleven years ago**

It was dark outside by the time we reached our destination all the way at the other end of the state. John pulled the car up in front of an old three story house on a huge property – shutting the engine off.

"So is it?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Yup." John said, getting out of the car. I followed him out to the back of the trunk along with the boys, watching as John pulled out a few things, handing them to Dean.

"And somebody...died in there?" I asked.

"They did." John muttered, straightening up, shoving a shotgun into my arms, a serious look on his face. "This could get dangerous, so don't play around."

"I won't." I said, not looking away as he stared at me. I wasn't about to be thought of as a weak little girl. Not anymore.

"Good." John nodded, shutting the trunk and walking away. Dean followed him, a bag slung over his shoulder as they headed up the small path.

Once John was a few feet away, I let out the breath of air I was holding in, glancing down to see Sam standing next to me, a small, proud smile on his face.

"Let's go!" John called, his voice stern. Sam and I headed over to him and Dean, the four of us now walking up the stairs.

"So, if this is just a house...where's the grave?"

"Somewhere on the property." Dean replied, slowing his stride slightly to walk next to me.

"Gross."

"It was an old custom for some people to bury loved ones on their property." Sam interjected.

"No one asked, Sam." Dean muttered, rolling his eyes.

"That's interesting. Disgusting, but interesting." I smiled, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Alright. This will get done faster if we split up." John said, turning back towards us. "Dean, you go with Vic. Sam, come with me."

Sam let out a sigh next, glancing up at me with irritated eyes before walking over to his father. He clearly wasn't too happy with the fact that he had to go with him.

"Dean, you keep an eye on her." John said, his voice hard.

"Yes, sir." Dean nodded, standing next to me.

"Look for any kind of gravestone. We'll meet back here in an hour."

* * *

 **CABIN – NIGHT  
Present **

After a bit of walking through the woods, Molly led us to a small, rundown cabin nestled in a small clearing.

"This is it. This is where I saw him." Molly muttered as we made our way inside the building.

"Must have been his hunting cabin." Dean said, spotting a few weapons covered in blood hanging on the wall. "Huh. Seemed like a real sweet guy."

"No markers or headstones outside." Sam said, lagging behind as he went to check out of the yard.

"You're looking for Greeley's grave?" Molly asked.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"So we can dig up the corpse and salt and burn it." Dean said blatantly.

"Oh. Sure, naturally."

"It's a way to get rid of a spirit." I told her.

"And that'll save David?"

"Well, this is what'll help both of you." Sam said, trying to not tell her too much. "Provided there's a corpse to be found.

"So how do we find it?"

"I'm not sure. After Greeley died, his wife claimed the body. And that was the last anyone saw of her. So good guess she brought him back here. But they had a thousand acres. He could be buried anywhere on 'em."

"So this is really what you guys do? You're like Ghostbusters?"

"Not my first choice, but I guess you could say that." I muttered.

"Minus the jumpsuits." Dean mumbled briskly, ready to go. "This is a fascinating conversation and all, but this highway is only haunted once a year, and we got till sun-up to wrap this thing up. What do you say we move it along, okay? Great."

I watched him go for a moment, wondering what was suddenly making his mood so sour before following him outside with Sam and Molly close behind.

"What are we looking for?" Molly asked as we walked through the thick grass.

"Greeley's house. He might be buried there. Look for roads or paths or something." Sam said, glancing back to her and I.

"Stay close." I told her as she lagged slightly behind.

"Okay." She nodded. We walked a few more feet when suddenly, Molly started running in another direction, calling out for her husband.

"What?" I asked, looking in the direction she'd gone. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Sam exclaimed as the three of us ran after her, hearing a loud scream echoing through the trees.

We came into another small clearing just as Greeley grabbed for Molly. In her panic, she spotted us and quickly ran back over to me just as Dean shot Greeley right in the head, and with that, he disappeared.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, seeing a fire build in her eyes.

"What has that son of a bitch done with my husband?"

"Take it easy, okay?" I told her, trying to hold back the emotions that were starting to get me. I hated lying about this. "You're gonna see David again. You will."

"Hey!" Dean called, nodding to a path in front of us. "Follow the creepy brick road."

"Go ahead." I gestured for Molly to follow Dean, leaving Sam and I to bring up the rear so we could keep an eye on her.

"So you can shoot a ghost?" Molly asked, glancing back at me.

"With rock salt, yeah."

"And plain salt keeps away spirits?" She asked, a disbelieving tone still in her voice. If only she knew.

"Well, salt's a symbol of purity. It repels impure and unnatural things."

"Same reason you throw it over your shoulder." Sam added.

"Good to know." She uttered as we rounded a corner, seeing an even more run down and decrepit looking house sitting there.

"You know, just once I'd like to round the corner and see a nice house." Dean commented, opening the door.

"If that ever happened, I'd probably die." I muttered sarcastically, only realizing what I'd said when Dean glanced back, a look of sadness filling his eyes. I let Molly and Sam pass through the open door, lagging behind a bit when I noticed Dean doing the same.

"Dean..."

"Just d- don't joke about that, okay?"

"I know, I'm sorry." I nodded. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just worried about you." Dean murmured. "What happened, those were the scariest moments in my entire life. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me. I'm okay. Really." I said, taking a step closer to him, resting my hands on his chest.

"Okay." Dean nodded, shooting me a small smile.

* * *

 **MISSOURI – NIGHT  
Eleven years ago**

Dean stayed close to my side as we walked through the thick grass, flashlights in our hands to see in the pitch blackness surrounding us.

"So...what do we do if we can't find the bones?" I asked, looking up at Dean.

"What?"

"If we can't find the bones, then what?"

"Oh, well, then there has to be something else keeping them here."

"Like what?"

"Could be anything, I guess. Unfinished business, hair, a fingernail."

"Something as simple as _hair_ can keep a someone stuck here forever?"

"Yeah."

"That's sad."

"What is?" Dean asked, glancing up at me.

"It's sad that something like that can make someone suffer for so long." I shrugged.

"What do you mean _suffer_?"

"There's no peace, I would imagine."

"That's sweet and all, but I don't think they can feel stuff like that."

"Why not? They were alive once. Human." I said. "And the woman that lived here, her husband died of cancer, right?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, she has to be sad." I muttered, catching the disbelieving look in his eyes. "Hey, you don't have the right to think I'm crazy here. You're running around like _Peter Venkman_ , for God's sake."

Dean chuckled, looking up at me. "I don't think you're crazy. I've just never thought about all that before. Plus, I'm not so sure all of them are deserving of _peace_ , anyway."

"Maybe not all of them, but I'm sure some of them are." I said. "Not all people are bad."

"No, I guess they're not." Dean muttered, a small smile on his face as his eyes lingered on me a bit longer than usual. "Some people are just too good."

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Uh, nothing." Dean muttered, shaking his head, turning away abruptly, blinking a few times.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Dean nodded, shining his flashlight on what looked like a headstone a few feet away.

"Did we find it already?"

"Only one way to find out." He replied, quickening his pace, still making sure I was close to him as we headed over to the stone.

* * *

 **GREELEY HOUSE – NIGHT  
Present **

After we finished our talk, Dean and I made our way back inside the house, gaining a strange look from Molly as she watched us interact with each other.

"Any headstones outside?" Sam asked.

"Nope." I replied.

"Is it ever that easy?" Dean asked.

"I guess not."

"You two check upstairs." Dean said, nodding to Molly and I. "See if you can find any notes or records telling us where he's buried. Sam and I will look down here."

Molly and I made our way up the creaky staircase to the second floor where nearly every inch of wallpaper was peeling and floorboards were lifted up.

"Let's check in here." I said, ducking into a room filled with papers. With a sigh, I bent down, sifting through some papers on the floor as Molly went over to one of the desks by a window, looking there.

"Hey, look at this." She called, holding a scrapbook in her hands, going over to sit at the foot of the bed. I followed along, looking at the pictures with her.

"It's Greeley and his wife." I muttered, flipping a few more pages to see a long, handwritten piece of paper taped to the page. Molly and I paused for a moment, reading it. I could tell she was just as surprised as I was by the time we reached the end of the apparent love letter.

"My god, it's beautiful." Molly muttered. "I don't understand how a guy like this can turn into that monster."

"Some spirits can become sort of like...wounded animals." I explained, my heart breaking as I looked at her. "They're so lost, in so much pain that they just...they become...what he has."

"Why? Why are they here?" She asked, looking up at me.

"There's something- some part of them that ends up keeping them here. Like their remains or unfinished business."

"Unfinished business?"

"It could be revenge...hate. Or love." I said. "Whatever it is, they just hold on too tight and can't let go. So they're trapped...caught in the same loops. Replaying the same tragedies over and over without even knowing it."

"You sound almost sorry for them."

"They weren't all evil people. A lot of them were good. But something happened to them. Something they couldn't control-"

"Tori's always getting a little _J. Love Hewitt_ when it comes to things like this." Dean said, appearing in the doorway with Sam behind him, shaking his head. "Me, I don't like 'em. And I sure as hell ain't making apologies for 'em."

"How cynical of you." I muttered dryly.

"There's nothing downstairs. You find anything?"

"No. Just some receipts, but nothing important." I told him.

Dean moved over to one of the walls, inspecting it closely, picking at the peeling wallpaper and peering behind the cabinet.

"What is it?" I asked, getting up and walking over to him.

"There's something behind here." Dean said, handing me his flashlight as he moved one of the cabinets aside, revealing a small hidden door with no lock on it. "It's locked from the inside."

"Well, I'm sure we could find another-" My suggestion was interrupted by Dean's boot hitting the door as he tried to kick it down, but nothing happened. "Dean, don't hurt yourself-"

He ignored me again, bracing himself for a moment before kicking the door for a second time – only harder – and this time, the door fell through with a clank as it hit the ground.

"Don't hurt yourself. Ha." Dean challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry for caring." I mumbled jokingly. "You first."

"Why me?"

"We don't have all day, Dean."

"You go."

"Why? Scared?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, catching another strange look from Molly and an eye roll from Sam.

"No." Dean mumbled, looking down at his leg.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"No." Dean repeated his voice petulant.

"Then go."

"Fine." Dean huffed, making his way through the small opening into the other room.

When he thought I wasn't watching, a look of pain crossed his face as he shook his leg – the same one he'd used to kick the door down with.

I knew it. He hurt himself.

"It smells like old lady in here." Dean mumbled, looking around as I followed in, Sam and Molly behind me. "And that would explain why. Well, now we know why nobody ever saw her again."

Dean pointed his flashlight on something, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dusty surroundings to see what it was – a corpse handing from a noose.

"Oh my god." I murmured.

"She didn't want to live without him." Molly muttered, a sad look in her eyes. I felt a somber feeling flow over me as I looked up at the woman. I can't say I disagree with her.

"Can you get that for me?" I asked, pointing to a chair across the room.

"Sure." Sam nodded, knowing right away what I wanted to do.

"Give me a hand?" I asked, turning back to Dean.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, really."

"What are you gonna do?" Molly asked.

"We can't leave her like this." I muttered, positioning the chair in front of the body.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Fine, don't help." I said, looking back at him. "But she deserves to be put to rest, Dean."

Dean through about it for a moment, finally agreeing to help. He and Sam stood beneath the woman, holding her as I grabbed my knife, cutting the brittle rope.

* * *

Once all of that was done and over with, we'd brought Mrs. Greeley back out to the backyard to dig a grave for her. Sam went to grab a couple shovels from the Impala, leaving Molly, Dean and I in the backyard with...Mrs. Greeley.

"I swear, you're too good for _my_ own good." Dean mumbled to me, taking a whiff of his jacket with a grimace.

"It's the little things like this that counts, Dean. The good things that you do for people." I said, glancing back at Molly before looking to him again. "Whether they're dead or alive."

Dean nodded, glancing down, away from Molly as she watched us. "I need a shower."

"That'll be taken care of later." I said, a small smile on my face. "Possibly even...together?"

"Oh, really?"

"Really." I nodded. Dean smirked, taking a few more steps towards me.

"But stay the hell away for now." I said, holding a hand up to stop him. "That is gnarly."

"Yeah, I know." Dean mumbled.

"Alright, ready?" Sam asked, coming back with two shovels, handing one to Dean.

"So, if you manage to put Greeley to rest, too...what happens to them?" Molly asked, reminding me of a similar question I'd asked the Winchester's when I was first with them.

"Lady, that answer is way beyond our pay grade." Dean grumbled, pushing his shovel into the dirt again.

"You hunt these things, but you don't know what happens to them?"

"Well, they never come back. That's all that matters."

"After they let go of whatever's keeping them here, they- they just go." Sam said, trying to give her a more satisfying answer. "I hope someplace better, but we don't know. No one does."

"What happens when you burn their bones?" She asked.

"Um...well, my dad used to say that was like death for ghosts, you know? But...the truth is, we still don't know. Not for sure." Sam muttered, glancing up at Dean and I. "Guess that's why we all hold on to life so hard. Even the dead. We're all just scared of the unknown."

"The only thing I'm scared of is losing David. I have to see him again. I have to."

Dean paused mid-dig, clearly affected by Molly's words as he glanced up at me, a few seconds of silence passing before he started digging again.

* * *

 **MISSOURI – NIGHT  
Eleven years ago **

It turned out that what we had thought was a headstone was just a large rock that has sunken into the mud from all the rain.

"Shit." Dean huffed.

"What now?" I asked, something a little ways away over his shoulder catching my eye. I watched it as he spoke, not registering anything he was saying as I noticed the thing was moving towards us at a fairly fast past. "Dean?"

"What?" He asked. My eyes widened when I realized that thing was a figure moving towards us menacingly.

"Dean, look!" I said, pointing behind him.

"Oh- move!' Dean exclaimed, pushing me behind him as he shot the figure, causing it to disappear. "Let's go!"

Dean grabbed my arm, pushing me in front of him as the two of us bolted away. I turned back, seeing that the figure had returned, a loud high-pitched wailing coming from it's hanging open mouth. Dean turned around, firing off another shot at the ghostly figure, but it wasn't long before it came back, even closer this time.

The closer we got to the house, the faster we ran, trying to get there before the figure could reach us. I could see John and Sam in the distance, running our way, probably having heard the gunshots.

"Move!" John ordered. Dean and I both ducked down mid-run as John shot the spirit again. Once we reached them, John pushed us all inside the house, shutting the door, staring down at Dean. "What the hell happened out there?"

"She came out of nowhere."

" _Out of nowhere_?" John repeated. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"I was." Dean stammered, looking down when John turned to me.

"What did you find?"

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"No headstones?"

"No."

"Shit."

* * *

 **GREELEY HOUSE – NIGHT  
** **Present**

Peeking my head into the living room, I saw Molly pacing back and forth, the photo album in her hand as she flipped through the pages. I ducked back into what used to be the kitchen, facing Dean and Sam.

"I think we should tell her...about her husband."

"We can't." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Isn't it- I mean, I feel like it's…I don't know, _cruel_ to let her pine over him like this. She's not getting him back."

"It's for her own good."

"She should know." Sam muttered, agreeing with me.

"Dean, I'd want to know if something- if something happened to you." I said, taking a few steps towards him, tears in my eyes. "It's the same thing, even with her. It's the same no matter who it's about. When you love someone, you _need_ to know."

"…alright." Dean nodded after a moment of thinking, taking a deep breath. "Let's just try and stick to the plan for now. Get her out of here, and then we'll tell her."

"Tell me what?" Molly asked from the doorway, startling us. "What aren't you telling me? It's about David. You know what happened to him."

"Molly-"

"Sam, don't." Dean said, stopping him.

"Don't what? Don't tell me because I'll mess up your hunt? You don't care about me or my husband."

"That's not true, Molly." I said, feeling slightly offended. That's all we did.

"Really? Then whatever it is, tell me, please."

"Okay." I nodded, about to tell her when a radio turned on in the distance playing _House of the Rising Sun_ again, this time even more distorted than before.

"He's coming."

"Stay with her." Dean said to Sam and I, looking to me for a moment longer before he went in search for the radio.

Sam, Molly and I made our way back out into the living room as Dean left, waiting around for him to come back. Molly stood in front of a large window and in the reflection of the glass, I could see her worried expression as she stared outside. Sam stayed behind me, watching the door just to make sure.

Just as I was about to make my way over to Molly, the glass in front of her shattered and Greeley suddenly appeared, grabbing her.

"Molly!" I called, trying to get to her. But it was no use, Greeley pulled her out of the window before I could do anything. Without thinking, I quickly jumped out of the window, nicking my hand on the broken glass as I rushed after her.

"Tori, wait!" Sam called.

I could hear him talking to Dean in a rushed voice, telling him what had happened as they both ran, following me deep into the woods. I could still hear Molly screaming, but eventually couldn't see any trace of her anymore.

"Molly!" I called and called, looking around for her when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I gasped, spinning around to see Dean standing there, a worried look on his face when he spotted the blood dripping from my hand.

"Jesus, Tor." He mumbled, using the bottom of his shirt to apply pressure to the cut, trying to stop it from bleeding.

"We have to find her-"

"We'll figure out what to do after you get taken care of." Dean said. "We're better off going back to the house."

"Okay."

The three of us made our way back to the old house, heading back into the living room where shattered glass lay scattered around on the ground. Dean took off his jacket, ripping off one of his sleeves to tie around my hand to keep the wound covered.

"You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I think I like the cut-off look on you." I muttered, shooting him a small smile.

"Never in a million years."

"Oh, come on. Not even for me?" I asked coyly, biting my lip.

"Well-"

"Guys." Sam complained, leaning against a far wall, the photo album in his hands.

"You know, no pressure or anything, but we've got less than two hours before sunrise." I said, taking in a small breath. "How are we gonna pull this one off?"

"Hey." Sam called, looking through the photo album Molly had been.

"What do you got?" Dean asked, him and I going over to look at the page.

" _'February_ _sixth_ _, 1992_.'" Sam read.

"That was like two weeks before the accident, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I mean, it looks like the hunting cabin, but... I swear there's a tree there right where they're standing." Sam said. "I should've thought of it."

"What?" I asked.

"It's an old country custom. Planting a tree as a grave marker."

"You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." Dean commented.

"Yeah. I know." Sam muttered bitterly.

"So Molly might be there?"

"Maybe."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I asked, heading towards the door. "Let's go."

* * *

 **MISSOURI – NIGHT  
Eleven years ago**

"Start looking down here and stay together." John ordered.

"Look for what?" I asked.

"Something that looks like it has some kind of personal value. When you find it, burn it." John said, shining his flashlight around as he headed up the stairs to the second floor. I nodded, starting to look around everywhere I could think of for something valuable.

It felt as though hours had passed as we frantically searched when a huge blood stain on the ground near an end table caught my eye.

That must be where the teenager was murdered.

I grimaced, making my way over there. I opened the drawer on the table, seeing a gold heart shaped locket attached to a chain lying there. I picked up the locket, opening it out of curiosity.

There were two small pictures placed inside the locket, one of a young man and the other of the same man and a woman, who closely resembled the spirit. I'd almost forgotten where I was, smiling down at the picture of the couple staring lovingly into each other's eyes.

It must have been so sad for her to lose her husband. Especially since they were so young.

Suddenly, I felt a cold chill run over me, turning around just as the spirit appeared, flinging me across the room before disappearing. I crashed into the wall, the locket flying out of my hands as Dean ran in the room, Sam by his side.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, helping me off the ground.

"I'm fine." I said, searching the ground for the locket. "Help me look."

"For what?" Sam asked.

"There- there's a lo-"

I barely even got the words out before both Sam and Dean flew across the room. I ran into the adjoining room, watching with wide eyes as the spirit stalked towards them, that same piercing wail coming from her mouth as she went. I scanned the floor for the locket, spotting it only a few feet away.

I reached into the bag I was carrying, pulling out a bottle of kerosene and my lighter, taking a deep breath as I ran back into the room, picking up the locket.

The spirit turned towards me, staring at me, her lifeless eyes darting between the locket and my face. I froze for a moment, getting lost in her face as she stared at the piece of jewelry in my hands.

"Tori! Do it!" Dean called, snapping me out of it.

As soon as I turned towards the fire place, the spirit practically ran at me. I squirted kerosene on the dried logs, throwing my lit lighter in. The flame grew instantly, nearly burning me as it wafted out of the fireplace.

"Tori!" Sam called, his voice full of worry.

I glanced behind me, seeing that the spirit was nearly close enough to grab me. I gasped, chucking the locket into the fire, my eyes widening as the spirit stopped in her tracks, going up in flames before me before disappearing.

* * *

 **HUNTING CABIN – NIGHT**

Dean and I left Sam outside to start digging, entering the cabin just as Greeley started approaching Molly – her arms tied up to a meat hook in the ceiling – staring down at the blood covering her stomach. Without hesitation, Dean shot Greeley in the head, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, thank god." Molly sighed.

"Yeah, call me Dean." He smirked as I went over to try and cut Molly down. I looked back, my eyes going wide when I saw Greeley appear behind Dean.

"Behind you!" I warned. As Dean turned around, Greeley threw out his hand, cutting Dean on his cheek.

"This guy's really pissing me off." Dean mumbled as Greeley sent him flying back, slamming hard against a wall.

I gave up trying to get Molly down, quickly grabbing the shotgun Dean had dropped, shooting Greeley once again. Dean stood back up to his feet, about to walk forward when he was suddenly slammed backwards again.

"Bastard." I mumbled, trying to shoot Greeley again when he disappeared from sight. I let out a low, annoyed growl. I never miss.

I ran to the door, looking out at Sam. "Sam, come on!"

"I'm trying!" He shouted. I made my way outside, picking up the other shovel to help Sam with the large amount of dirt that was on top of Greeley's coffin.

"He's got a fucking knife, so you know, now would be a really great time to haul ass!" Dean yelled.

"Shit." I huffed, finally hitting the coffin with my shovel.

Before Sam could, I jumped down into the grave, prying the lid of the coffin open with the shovel. Sam helped me out of the shallow grave, pouring kerosene on the bones as I threw the lighter in, watching them go up in flames.

I rushed back inside the cabin, finding Dean finally on his feet again and a pile of ashes on the ground that slowly disappeared. As soon as he saw me, Dean quickly ran over, pulling me to him, checking my head.

"Dean-" I started, trying to bat his hands away. "Dean-"

"Are you okay?"

"Dean, I'm fine!" I exclaimed, holding his face in my hands, staring into his eyes. "I'm okay. Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, pulling in a deep breath. "I'm good."

* * *

 **MISSOURI – NIGHT  
Eleven years go**

After everything was over with, Dean and Sam came rushing over to me as I stood frozen in front of the fire place. They even had to drag me away from the flames, because I couldn't find it in my me move my own feet. I couldn't believe what I had just done.

"I think she's in shock." Sam said, repeated one of the first phrases I'd ever heard him say.

"Tori?" Dean called, waving a hand in front of my face. I heard rushed footsteps, looking up to see John appear in the doorway.

"What happened?" John asked, taking in my expression. "What happened?"

"Tori she- she got rid of the ghost." Dean said. Even though I wasn't really paying attention, I couldn't mistake the proud tone that rang in his voice.

"She did?"

"And you missed it." Sam muttered, gaining a harsh glare from John, who walked over to me.

"Vic, are you okay?" John asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Victoria?"

"Did I really just do that?" I asked, finally able to find words to speak as I blinked rapidly.

"You did." John smiled.

"Holy shit." I sighed, mixture of excitement, fear and adrenaline running through me.

* * *

After we'd collected out things and put out the fire, we headed back out to the Impala just as the sun was rising over the treeline, a mixture of reds, blues and purples lining the sky.

"I still wonder why she killed that guy." Sam said, glancing over to Dean and I as we walked.

"'Cause she felt like it." Dean mumbled, readjusting the bag's strap over his shoulder as Sam rolled his eyes.

"I think they messed with her locket." I said, remembering the necklace that was placed in the drawer right above the blood stain. "There were pictures of her husband in it."

"She wanted to keep them away from it because it meant so much to her." Sam nodded. I glanced over at Dean, seeing that he was staring at his brother and I with that same look of disbelief.

"So she wasn't really a bad person." I said, ignoring him. "Then, what happened to her?"

"She killed herself after her husband died-"

"No, I know that." I said, stopping John. "I mean, what happened now? After she disappeared back there."

"You mean to her spirit?" John asked, stopping to turn around and face me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I mean, if she committed suicide after her husbands death, she was miserable without him. I get that a person either goes to heaven-"

Dean let out a light scoff at that, pretending to cough when I shot him a look at the same time that Sam punched him in the side, glaring at him.

"Or hell." I continued, looking back to John. "But just- it doesn't seem fair for her to not have peace after everything."

I almost felt like a child wondering why the sky was blue by the way John looked at me, but I couldn't help but ask anyway. I wanted to know that I didn't just make an existence worse for something, even if it was a ghost.

"I don't know, Vic." John answered truthfully, seeing the distress in my eyes. "Don't worry. You did the right thing."

John turned making his way over to the driver side of the Impala while Sam, Dean and I lagged behind. Before getting into the car, I glanced back at the house, wishing with everything in me that after all this time she was finally able to rest.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT**

The four of us walked down the long road back to the Impala, each of us looking rather disgruntled and tired.

"Oh, baby, it's been a long night." Dean muttered, practically caressing the hood of the car.

"Why don't you give her a kiss." I said, shooting Dean a smile as he playfully glared at me.

Sam glanced over at Molly, opening the door for her. "Alright. Let's get you out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to my husband."

"Molly..."

"All this time I've been looking for him, and you knew that- you knew that Greeley killed him, didn't you? He's dead." She muttered, tears forming in her eyes.

"No, Molly. David's alive." I told her.

"What?" She asked, her eyes wide. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure. We'll take you to him." I said, looking to Dean, who nodded his head, getting in the car. I slid into the back, patting the seat next to me. With a happy sigh, Molly got into the car, a relieved smile on her face.

* * *

 **DAVID'S HOUSE – NIGHT**

The whole night, this was part I was dreading most. I felt my heart breaking a little more for Molly with every mile marker the Impala passed, signaling how close we were getting to the inevitable. Molly stared out of the window, her smile dropping slightly as we pulled up in front of a suburban home.

"He's in that house, right there." Sam told her.

"I don't understand." Molly muttered, glancing over to me for an explanation.

"You will."

We all got out of the car, walking towards the house. A light turned on inside as David walked in, wearing a bathrobe. He poured himself a cup of coffee, just going about his day – no idea of what was going on in his front yard.

"That's not- it can't be." Molly mumbled, looking back to the window as a woman entered, kissing David. "What's happening? Who is that?"

"That's David's wife." I told her, the shocked look on her face breaking my heart. "I'm sorry, Molly."

"What?"

"Fifteen years ago, you and your husband hit Jonah Greeley with your car. David survived." Sam said.

"What are you saying?"

"We're saying there isn't just one spirit haunting Highway forty-one. There are two. Jonah Greeley...and you." Dean said, his tone a little softer as he started to see the realization crush her.

"One night a year you've been appearing on that highway, for fifteen years." I said.

"No, that's not possible. It was our anniversary...February twenty-second."

"Nineteen-tinny-two."

"Yes."

"Molly, it's two-thousand-seven." Dean interjected.

"Oh, god." Molly murmured, a far off look in her eyes as she shook her head, glancing back to us. "And Greeley?"

"Each year he punishes somebody for his death...chasing them. Torturing them. And each year, that somebody is you." Sam said, trying to break it to her as gently as possible.

"But I don't remember any of it."

"Because you couldn't see the truth, Molly." I told her.

"So that's why he won't let me off the highway. Because...I killed him. I killed us both." Molly muttered, moving over to the steps, sitting down. "Why didn't you tell me when you first saw me? Why wait until now?"

"You wouldn't have believed us." Dean said.

"And you needed me for bait." She snapped at him.

"Well, we needed you..." Sam muttered.

"David."

"We brought you here so you could move on." I told her.

"I have to tell him-"

"Tell him what? That you love him? That you're sorry? Molly, he already knows that. But if you want to go in there, we won't stop you."

"Yeah, but you are gonna freak him right out. For life." Dean muttered. I shrugged, not able to disagree with that.

"David's already said his good-byes, Molly. It's your turn, this is your unfinished business."

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked, a scared look in her eyes.

"Just... let go. Of David. Of everything." I told her. "If you do that, we think you'll move on."

"But you don't know where." She said, tears streaming down her face.

"No, I wish we did." I told her honestly. "But Molly, you don't belong here. Haven't you suffered long enough? It's time to let go."

Molly nodded sadly, stepping away from the house, her movements slow. She took a deep breath, glancing back at the three of us before looking up at the rising sun. I got a strange feeling in my stomach, almost one of completely peace as she vanished into the light in front of us, making me a little light-headed as I watched the ray of light retract into the sky.

"I guess she wasn't so bad... for a ghost." Dean muttered, clearly not affected by this in the same way I had been, but noticing there was something wrong. "Are you okay?"

"Y- yeah." I nodded, not able to shake the feeling as I stared up at the passing clouds. "I'm fine."

"You think she's really going to a better place?"

"I hope so." Sam muttered.

"I think she did." I murmured, something inside telling me so.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged, looking back down as the peacefulness left me and I was back to normal. "I guess we'll never know. But I don't think that matters. Hope's kind of the whole point of life, isn't it?"

"Alright, Haley Joel." Dean cracked, rolling his eyes.

"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you, I swear." I hissed, glaring back at him.

Suddenly, he bolted, taking off running back towards the Impala. I followed him, matching his stride as he ran to the driver side, leaving me on the passenger side

"Baby's not gonna protect you from me." I said, hearing Sam laughing from behind as I darted around the car, quickly landing a hard punch to Dean's shoulder before he could escape. "Ha."

"Ouch." He complained, rubbing his arm as he pouted.

"Oh, you're fine." I sighed, getting into the backseat. "Let's hit the road."

As the Impala sped down the street, I thought back on everything that had happened in the span of one night. When I was unconscious, it was like I was trapped in a box, in the same loop. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through that for fifteen years, even if you didn't know it was happening over and over again.

It just wasn't fair.

This was the kind of thing that made me love what we did – helping people. Without us, Molly might have never gotten the peace she deserved. Granted, it wasn't as simple as we'd originally thought, but it was definitely worth it.

And even though I was exhausted, I knew we'd done the right thing, and that was good enough for me.

* * *

 **Guys, I'm on a roll here lol**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and a look into Tori's first hunt with the boys! Thanks for reading!**

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	18. Heart

_You are right, I'll move on  
But my lungs feel so small  
I couldn't breathe if I tried  
I lay my head on the floor  
My beating heart wanting more  
..._

 _But I'll keep it in and keep you out  
But for the longest time I knew_  
 _There was nothing left for us to do_  
 _But I tried  
Oh, I tried  
And in this quiet company  
There is nothing staring back at me  
I'm in need of the sound_

 _..._

 _And I'll go talk to fill the void_  
 _Let me go, 'cause you are just a shade_  
 _Of what I am, not what I'll be_  
 _But in this quiet company_  
 _I forget sometimes just how to breathe_  
 _Fill my lungs with the sound_

 _Hungry for the kill  
But this hunger, it isn't you  
Voices disappear  
When you are speaking in somber tunes  
I will be the wolf and when you're starving, you'll need it too  
Hungry for the kill  
But this hunger, it isn't you  
It isn't you  
It isn't_

 _I'm drowning, I'm drowning  
I'm drowning, I'm drowning_

 _ **Of Monsters and Men – Hunger**_

* * *

After we finished up in Nevada, we took a small break for a few days. Mostly because Dean insisted, more or less badgering me until I agreed to take some days and rest before we took anymore jobs.

Though I had to admit, being all alone in a motel room with Dean wasn't the absolute worst way to spend a weekend. We kept ourselves pretty busy in there.

"So how do you feel?" Sam asked as we made our way to the morgue to inspect the body of a man who had been attacked by some kind of animal. Not that his death would be ruled this way, but if his heart was ripped out of his body, there really was no other explanation to us and Dean's hunch about a werewolf was right.

"Pretty good." I said, grinning up at Sam. "Your brother helped a lot with that."

"Okay, too much-"

"I don't think there was a place inside that room where we didn't-"

"Tori!" Sam exclaimed, his eyes wide as he glanced down at me, a disgusted look on his face. "That's something I don't need to hear."

"I know. But sometimes it's fun to make you squirm. It's so easy." I smiled, stepping in front of him to open the door.

"You're the worst." Sam complained, heading inside. I let out a small laugh, following him.

* * *

The morgue technician led us into the back room, over to the wall of compartments, looking them over before pulling the victim's out.

"Here he is, Detectives." The woman muttered, uncovering Nate Mulligan, showing the stitches running along his body from the autopsy.

I inspected the teeth marks on him, looking up to the woman. "That's a pretty nasty bite."

"Mm-hmm."

"You know what bit him?" Sam asked.

"I haven't quite determined that just yet." She muttered, looking away.

"Come on, Doc. Off the record."

"Okay. Way, _way_ off the record."

"Sure." I nodded.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say the guy was attacked by a wolf. But unless I know that the zoo is missing one of their lobos, I'm going with pit bull." She said, eying us. "I like my job."

"Yeah. I heard you." Sam chuckled.

"One more thing. This guy, was his heart missing by any chance?" I asked.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" She asked, taken back. "I haven't even finished my report."

"Just a lucky guess." I muttered, sharing a pointed look with Sam.

* * *

 **MOTEL ROOM – DAY**

When we entered the motel room, Dean was sitting at the table cleaning up the guns, lost in his own little world, still pretty upset that we weren't letting him out anywhere.

"Oh, you're back. Great." He mumbled.

"It's for your own good, Dean. For the millionth time." I said, making my way over to him to drop a fast food bag on the table. "Got you a burger and some fries."

"Uh-huh."

"And a milkshake. Surprise." I said, a big, forced smile on my face as I pulled the cup out from around my back. Dean eyed me for a moment before gabbing the cup, taking a few sips of the milkshake. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." I murmured, leaning down on the table. "It's the least I could do after what you did for me this weekend."

Dean swallowed hard, his eyes darkening as a smirk spread across his lips. "Well, you know how you could really thank me for that?"

"How?"

"I think you know."

"Guys!" Sam exclaimed, that same grossed out look on his face as he grimaced at us. "What the fuck? Seriously? Do you ever stop?"

"No." Dean and I muttered in unison.

"Not unless we really _have_ to." I added, grinning at him.

"Sam, you think you could leave for a minute?" Dean asked, his eyes running down the length of my body before looking back to Sam. "Or for, you know, a few hours."

"No!" Sam huffed, shaking his head. "You just did that all weekend, aren't you, I don't know, tired?"

"This, Sammy, is why you need to meet a nice girl to spend some time alone with."

"Shove it." Sam snapped, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Dean chuckled, clearly happy that he'd successfully irritated his brother. "So, how'd it go?"

"Fine. I guess." I sighed, pulling off my blazer, sitting at one of the chairs, sipping on my own shake.

"So, this lawyer guy the first heart-free corpse in town?"

"First _man_." Sam said. "Over the past year, several women have gone missing. Dead bodies all washed up later in the bay, too deteriorated to draw firm conclusions."

"But no hearts?"

"No hearts. They were all hookers working Hunter's Point. Now, cops are trying to keep things under wrap, but they're looking for a serial killer."

"And the lunar cycle?" Dean asked, barely glancing up from the gun he held.

"Month after month, all the murders happen in the week leading up to a full moon." I said.

"Which is this week, right?"

"Hence the lawyer." Sam said obviously.

"Awesome." Dean smiled.

"Could you be a bigger geek about this?" Sam asked, an amused look on his face.

"I'm sorry, man, but what about _a human by day, a freak animal killing machine by moonlight_ don't you understand?" Dean asked. "I mean, werewolves are badass. We haven't seen one since we were kids."

"You mean when I saved your ass?" I asked, shooting him a smile.

"Exactly then, yes."

"Oh, I remember that." Sam chuckled. "Barely hunting for a few months and she saves you from a freaking _werewolf_."

"Alright, alright." Dean mumbled, trying to hide the proud smile on his face with fake annoyance.

"Okay, Sparky." Sam grinned. "And you know what? After we kill it, we can go to Disneyland!"

"Disneyland?!" I asked, faking my excitement. "You know how we'll have to get there though?"

"There's only one way." Sam shrugged, knowing where I was going with this.

"On a plane!" I shouted as Dean froze in his seat, narrowing his eyes at me. "I'll book the tickets right now."

"Stop it." Dean said, trying to act tough despite the fact that his voice shook slightly.

"Dean, we have to join the mile high club sometime." I said, shooting him a smile, watching as he shook his head slightly. "Oh, don't be such a little scardycat."

"You're the...scardycat..." Dean mumbled, looking back down as his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, okay." I smiled, running a hand through his hair. He playfully battled my hand away, going back to cleaning the gun in his hand. Though it wasn't too long before he couldn't contain his excitement any longer and went back to gushing about werewolves.

You know what the best part about this is? We already know how to bring these suckers down." Dean said, holding up a silver bullet. "One of these bad boys right to the heart. So, what's our next move?"

"Talk to the girl who found the body." Sam said.

"Does this mean I can actually go?" Dean asked, looking up at me.

"I guess." I nodded, watching as he jumped out of the seat.

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

 **APARTMENT - DAY**

The three of us stood in front of the witnesses apartment, waiting for her to answer the door after we'd knocked. A few moments of silence passed when the locks unlatched and pretty girl with long dark hair answered the door, looking up at us in confusion.

"Hello?"

I glanced up to Sam noticing how he was just staring at her, clearly not able to form words anytime soon. Dean stared at her for only a moment before he noticed Sam's expression and started laughing at him, unsuccessfully hiding the fact that he was doing so, even though he tried. I rolled my eyes at them, turning back to her with a smile, shaking her hand.

"Hi. I'm detective Sommers. This is Detective Landis and Detective Dante." I said, gesturing to Dean and Sam. "We were just wondering if we could talk to you for a moment."

"I don't understand. I already gave my statement."

"Madison, right?" I asked, watching as she nodded. "Well, we would just like to verify a few things."

"Okay." She nodded, stepping to the side to allow us to come in. "This is my neighbor, Glen." She said, gesturing to a large biker-type man wearing a _Mission Church_ t-shirt. "Glen, these are a few detective's looking into the case."

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it." He said, standing up.

"Okay. Thanks for the casserole."

"Oh, how thoughtful." Dean commented, shooting me a look behind Glen's back as Madison walked him to the door. Dean turned to his brother, lightly hitting him on the shoulder. "You wanna tap that so bad."

"Shut up." I hissed quietly, hoping she didn't hear that.

"Just call if you need anything." Glen said as Madison shut the door behind him. By the time Madison turned back to us, Sam was blushing furiously, trying to hide is face subtly.

"He's sweet. He came over to check on me." Madison muttered, leading us to a small kitchen table. "Here, have a seat."

"Thank you." I smiled, sitting down in between the boys, Madison right across from me.

"You must be pretty shaken up. You were Nate Mulligan's assistant, right?" Sam asked, trying to collect himself.

"For two years, yeah." Madison replied.

Dean nodded. "So, you knew all about him?"

"Probably knew more about him than he did. Nate was…he was nice." She muttered with a small smile.

"But?" I asked.

"Nothing, really. I- he had a few scotches in him, and he'd started hitting on anyone in a five-mile radius. You know the type." Madison muttered. I glanced over at Dean, catching him staring at her low-cut shirt.

"Actually, I do." I grumbled, hitting Dean under the table.

He quickly averted his eyes, turning serious once again. "Did, uh, did he have any enemies?"

"What do you mean?" Madison asked. "It sure looked like an animal attack."

"No, yeah, we're just covering all the bases. Anyone that might have had a beef with him – a former client, an ex?" Dean asked. Madison thought it over for a moment, a gleam of remembrance in her eyes.

"This is embarrassing...but my ex-boyfriend, Kurt-"

"Kurt have a last name?" Dean asked.

"Mueller. After we broke up, he went kind of nuts. He's...well, he's kind of been stalking me. He got it in his head that something was going on between Nate and I. He showed up at my office."

"And what happened?" I asked.

"Kurt got into it with Nate and threw a punch before security grabbed him. I was lucky to keep my job."

"When was the last time you saw Kurt?"

"A few nights ago. Actually, the night Nate died. We were all grabbing drinks at this bar, and Kurt showed up."

"And?"

"Nothing." She shrugged. "It was- it was like he was watching me. Then he was gone. To tell you the truth…he scares me."

"Have you ever told the cops about that?" I asked. "You could get a restraining order."

"I know." She nodded, sighing. "I just can't bring myself to do it."

"I understand." I nodded. "But it's something to look into."

"Yeah."

"Well, I think we're done here." I announced, standing up.

"Okay." Madison stood, leading us back to the door.

"If there's anything else you can think of, give us a call." I told her, writing Sam's number down on a piece of paper, handing it to her.

"I will." She smiled, opening the door for us. The three of us piled back out into the hallway, making our way down as she shut the door behind us.

"So, what do you think?" Dean asked.

"Stalker ex-boyfriend that hates her boss _and_ was there that night?"

"Think he's our dog-faced boy?"

"It's a theory." Sam said.

"We've had worse."

"Yeah."

"What do you say we pay Kurt a visit?" Dean asked, walking a bit a head of us. I nearly matched his stride, turning back to Sam with a grin.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I gave Madison your number."

Sam paused for a moment, slack-jawed as he blinked in confusion before running to catch up with us.

* * *

 **KURT MUELLER'S APARTMENT – DAY**

After leaving Madison's we made our way over to Kurt's place, which was a little distance away, but not too far of a drive. Once there, Sam and I stood guard as Dean bent down in front of the door, reaching in his pocket for the lockpick. I heard him let out a huff, glancing down to see him patting each of his pockets.

"Shit."

"What's the matter?"

"I don't have the damn lockpick." He complained, looking up to Sam. "You have to have it."

"I don't have it. I thought you had it." Sam replied.

"Boys." I sighed, pulling the bobby pin that was holding my long bangs back out of my hair, pushing Sam and Dean aside as I bent down in front of the door, successfully picking the lock. We entered the rather dingy apartment, looking around for anything interesting that we could find.

"Anything?" Sam asked from the living room as I sifted through a few papers and pieces of mail on the counter in the kitchen.

"Nah."

"Nothing but leftovers and a six-pack." Dean said, shutting the refrigerator behind me.

"Check the freezer." Sam suggested. "Maybe there's some human hearts behind the _Haagen-Dazs_ or something."

As Dean turned towards the freezer, I heard the sound of a door open and close quickly, followed by a loud crash outside. We rushed after it, finding ourselves out on a balcony. I looked around, spotting claw marks dug into the side of the concrete wall, reaching all the way down to the ground.

"Guys, look at this."

"Huh." Sam mumbled, looking over the railing to the ground where the marks stopped.

"Wh-"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air, interrupting me. We bolted back out of the apartment, following the sound of the shot down the street and into an alleyway where the body of a policeman lay, completely mauled.

"I'll call 911." Sam said, fishing his phone out of his pocket as Dean went over to the body.

"I'd say Kurt's looking more and more like our _Cujo_."

"If he's out here, we better check on Madison." Sam said, glancing over at me, noticing the look I gave him. "Because she's- she's a civilian in danger and-" Sam stopped, a relieved look on his face as an operator picked up. "Oh, yes, I'd like to report a shooting."

* * *

 **MADISON'S APARTMENT – DAY**

We rushed back to Madison's place as fast as we could, hoping to beat Kurt there. I knocked on her door, probably a little too violently, considering it caught the attention of her neighbor Glenn, who opened his door across the hall.

"What's going on?" Glen asked, looking at us suspiciously.

"Police business, Glen." Dean told him as Madison answered the door, confused again.

"What is it?"

I glanced back at Glen, looking to Madison. "I think we should talk privately."

"O- okay." She muttered. "Come in."

"Thanks."

"Let me get you some coffee." She said, shutting the door.

"Oh, no. It's okay-"

"I don't mind." She smiled, heading into the kitchen as Sam stared after her with googly eyes. I smiled at him, watching the way he looked at her. I hadn't seen him with her much, but it seemed pretty close to the way he looked at Jess.

Once Sam noticed my smile, he quickly looked away from Madison, clearing his throat as he headed into the kitchen. I shared a look with Dean, knowing we were both thinking the same thing.

"Has Kurt been here?" Sam asked.

"Not exactly." Madison replied, pouring some coffee

"What does _not exactly_ mean?" I asked.

"Well, he was outside last night. Just…looking- just looking at me." She said, glancing up at us. "Has he done something?"

"We're not really sure." Sam told her honestly.

"It's probably nothing, but…we just don't wanna take any chances." Dean said, glancing over at Sam. "In fact, one of us should probably stay here with you? Just in case he stops by. Where does he work?"

"He owns a body shop." Madison replied.

"You mind grabbing that address for us?" Dean asked. Madison nodded, heading out of the room. "Thanks."

"Alright, so Tori, you stay – we'll go." Sam said. I glanced over at Dean, exchanging a look with him.

"I don't think so." I said, shaking my head.

"What?" Sam asked, drinking some of his coffee, still not getting it.

"Actually, I was thinking you should stay." I said. Sam sputtered, choking on the coffee he'd just swallowed, looking up at me with wide eyes.

"What."

"Yeah, I'm tired. I don't want to watch her all night. And I sure as shit am not letting Dean stay alone with her-"

"Hey, I'd be decent."

"Yeah, okay." I scoffed. "She's hot. I'm not even sure I could be decent."

Dean's face went blank as he stared at me, his mouth hanging open slightly. "Wh-"

"Stop picturing us having a pillow fight and shut your mouth." I smiled, closing his mouth with my pointer finger.

Sam chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "I-"

"Alright, let's settle this the old fashioned way." Dean said, holding his hands up.

"No." I said, stopping Sam as he moved to place his cup down. "No _Rock-Paper-Scissors_."

"But-"

"Dean." I said through gritted teeth, shaking my head as I looked back to Sam. "You are staying here and that is final."

I pulled Dean up with me as I stood, leaving Sam sitting at the table, his mouth still hanging open slightly as Madison walked in, handing Dean a piece of paper with an address written on it.

"There you go."

"Thanks."

"So, Sam will be staying, if that's okay with you." I said.

Madison glanced down at him, a small smile appearing on her face. "Sure, yeah."

"Great." I smiled. "Well, we should be going."

"Okay." Madison smiled, turning towards the front door.

As he walked past him, Dean patted Sam on the shoulder, handing him a small foil square. Sam looked up at him, his eyes wide and cheeks red as Dean winked. "Gonna need that."

"Have fun, Shorty." I grinned, leaving Sam sitting there as Dean and I headed back out to the front door of Madison's apartment, leaving.

* * *

Once in the hallway, Dean threw an arm around me, pulling me close as I held his hand that was draped over my shoulder.

"Did you see how red he was?" Dean chuckled.

"He was all nervous and cute."

"This'll be good for him, if he doesn't fuck it up."

"I'm not sure Madison would let him. Did you see the way she looked at him? She likes him."

"Oh, yeah."

"So what do we do now?" I asked, looking up into Dean's eyes as we paused at the end of the hallway.

"I can think of a few things." He said, bending down to place a kiss on my lips. I almost got too lost in the moment before I remembered the address on the piece of paper in his hand. I grabbed it, leaning back slightly.

"Me too. And none of them involve that." I sighed, really wanting to just say _screw it_ and head back to the motel. But we couldn't...at least not yet.

* * *

After checking out the place where Kurt worked, we made our way back to the Impala that was parked out in front of the apartment building. Dean took his phone out, calling Sam with a grin.

"Let me guess. You're sitting on her couch like a stiff, trying to think of something to say."

" _Did you find Kurt?_ " I heard Sam ask.

"No, he hasn't been at work all week. But because we're good, and I mean really, really good, we got a line on where he might be." Dean said, getting into the driver seat as I slid into the passenger side. "What's she wearing?"

" _Bye, Dean_." Sam muttered quickly, hanging up.

"Oh, Sammy." Dean sighed, shaking his head.

"So, we're seriously headed to a strip club?" I asked.

"Hey, you wanna find the guy or not?"

"I'm sure that's the only reason you wanna go."

"Of course."

"It has absolutely nothing to do with the half naked women dancing on poles?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all. That's so demeaning." Dean muttered, glancing over at me. "Am I like that?"

"Yes." I joked. Dean chuckled, starting the car and driving off in the direction of the strip club.

* * *

 **STRIP CLUB – NIGHT**

As soon as we stepped inside, that familiar stale bar smell hit me right in the face like a ton of bricks. I always hated that smell, that is until I had a few drinks in me, then I couldn't care less.

Dean and I ordered a couple drinks, trying to seem _normal_ as we looked around for Kurt. It seemed like an eternity before we spotted him sitting in front of the stage, staring up at the woman there with a creepy grin.

We made our way over to the other side of the stage, sitting down at one of the tables to keep an eye on him.

"We should call Sam, tell him we found Kurt." I said, reaching for my phone.

"Should we really interrupt them?" Dean asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Do you really think anything's going on yet?"

"Probably not." Dean mumbled, pulling his phone out, dialing Sam's number. "I found him." I glanced behind me, seeing Kurt reach forward, putting some money in the strippers bikini. I rolled my eyes, looking back to Dean, seeing him watching the girl.

"Oh, yeah, my eyes are glued." He finished. "Look, Sammy, I gotta let you go. I, uh, I don't wanna...miss anything."

Dean hung up then, still staring at the stage. I just watched him for a moment, shaking my head.

"You really are pathetic." I chuckled, taking a sip of my drink. "One of these days, we're gonna have to go to a male strip club-"

"Never." Dean said adamantly.

"Oh, definitely." I grinned.

"What do we do if this guy never leaves?" Dean asked, trying to change the subject.

"He'll have to go at some point." I shrugged.

"Doesn't look like that'll be anytime soon." Dean muttered, nodding back to Kurt. I looked over my shoulder, seeing him with a stack of money on his lap.

"Oh, dear god. We're never getting out of here." I huffed, resting my head in my hands, watching Dean as his eyes darted to the woman on the stage. "Not that you care."

"Sorry." He mumbled, looking away.

"I really pictured tonight playing out differently?"

"How?" Dean asked, leaning down on the table.

"Well, for one I thought the only people that were gonna be naked were you and me." I muttered, jumping slightly as one of the waitresses/strippers walked up to the table dressed in a skimpy skirt and tight crop top.

"Is there anything I can do for you two?" She asked seductively. "Maybe a little lap dance?"

"Ye-"

"No." I said narrowing my eyes at Dean before looking up to her. "Thanks though...I guess."

"Let me know if you change your mind." She smiled, walking off to another table.

"Anyway, you were saying something about the two of us being naked…?" Dean fished. "What would we be doing exactly?"

"Dean, I'm not going to describe to you what kind of sex we'd be having if we weren't here while there is a naked woman hanging upside down from a pole in the middle of the room."

"Oh, come on." Dean pleaded, pouting at me. I shot him a small smile, shaking my head as I took another sip of my drink.

* * *

Eventually, Kurt did leave a few hours later when he decided to stagger out of the bar after all his money was gone and the sun was only a few hours from coming up. Dean and I quickly followed him in the Impala as he got into his car, heading back to his apartment. We waited outside for a bit until he went in, turning on a few lights.

"Now's a good a time as any." Dean said, pulling a gun out.

"We're absolutely sure this is him, right?" I asked, having doubts.

"Who else could it be?" Dean asked, getting out of the car. I grabbed my gun, tucking it into the back of my jeans before following him up to the stairs.

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering echoed through the air. I looked up to see fast movement in the bedroom through the window, then all the lights went out. Dean quickly kicked the door open, the both of us running to the room where rapid breathing and snarling was coming from.

There was a woman hovering over Kurt's body, biting and clawing it apart. She froze, suddenly whipping around. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened.

"Madison?" I muttered, completely astonished as a pair of piercing blue eyes stared at us. Her teeth, now bloody fangs and her finger nails long claws.

Spotting Dean's drawn gun, she let out a loud growl, charging at him, pushing me across the room in the process as she shoved Dean into the wall, knocking his gun out of his hand. As Dean struggled against her grip, she reared back, ready to sink her claws into him.

Without hesitation, I quickly pulled out my gun, shooting her in the leg – the only place I could be sure the bullet wouldn't injure Dean, too – Madison yelped, hitting Dean against the wall once more before quickly sprinting out of the house through the window she'd come in.

"Dean." I called, rushing over to him as he slumped to the floor, unconscious. "Shit, no. Come on."

I knew someone had to have heard that gunshot and was probably already on the phone with the cops. So, with all the strength I could muster, I wrapped Dean's arm around my shoulder and my hand around his waist, looping a few fingers through his belt loops, hoping that would help me carry him.

After what seemed like forever, I finally got Dean into the passenger seat of the Impala, quickly sprinting around to the driver side as the sun was just about to rise and sirens blared in the distance. I put the car in drive, speeding away from the house.

* * *

The sun was high up in the sky by this point and I was almost near the apartment when I picked up my phone, giving Sam a call.

" _Hey. How-_ "

"Sam, listen. It's Madison-"

" _What?_ "

"Madison's the werewolf!" I exclaimed.

" _That's not possible. I- I've been here the whole time._ " Sam said. I heard his footsteps as he walked to another room, creaking a door open. " _She's in bed, asleep._ "

With the motion of the car and my talking, Dean had woken up, mumbling groggily when he realized where we were, shielding his eyes from the sun as he sat up. "What the-"

"Are you okay?" I asked, glancing over at him.

" _Is who okay?_ " Sam asked, worried.

"Dean. Madison knocked him out."

" _Wh-_ "

"I'm fine." Dean mumbled, shaking his head a little.

"He's okay." I told Sam. "Listen, can you see her right leg?"

" _What? Hang on._ " Sam muttered, his voice full of concern when he came back. " _Oh god, she's-_ "

"I shot her." I told him simply. "Sam, find a way to keep her there. Don't let her leave. Dean and I will be over in about ten minutes."

" _Alright._ " Sam replied nervously.

"Stay safe."

" _I will._ "

I snapped the phone shut, keeping both hands on the wheel as I tried to get through the morning traffic as fast as I possibly could.

"Dean, are you okay?" I asked, looking over at him with worried eyes.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"No scratches? No bites?"

Dean looked over his arms, and underneath his shirt, shaking his head when he looked up at me. "No."

"Good." I nodded, feeling a bit more relived.

* * *

 **MADISON'S APARTMENT – DAY**

Dean and I quickly rushed up the stairs to Madison's door, knocking on it. The door opened behind us, again, and Glen stood out, his arms folded.

"Can I help you?"

"No." I said, turning back around to the door, knocking once more when Sam appeared.

"Come in."

"Is Madison okay?" Glen asked, peering in.

"She's fine." I said, a little more harshly than I wanted to, piling inside the apartment with Dean, trying to keep Glen from seeing Madison tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

Well, Sam certainly didn't mess around.

"How you doin'? My head feels great, thanks." Dean quipped.

"I can't believe this." Madison muttered, shaking her head. "You're all psychotic. The whole _I'm a cop_ trip. God, I am so stupid."

"Well, I guess neither of us are who we said we were, huh?" Sam asked, moving closer to her.

"You're sick, okay? You're imagining things. Monsters don't exist, not really."

"You know what? Save the act."

"It's not an act!" Madison cried, tears starting to stream down her face. "I am not a werewolf! There's no such thing! It's made up, alright? Th– they're not real! You know they're not real!"

"No?!" Sam asked, pointing to the bullet wound in the back of her leg. "Then where did that come from?"

"I don't know! Sam, God, you need help. Please, don't do something that you're gonna regret. I'm not what you think I am. I'm not."

Sam glanced over at Dean and I, nodding to the other room before going in with Dean. I lagged behind, taking one last glance at a crying Madison on the way.

"She has no idea what I'm talking about." Sam muttered.

"She's lying." Dean told him.

"Or maybe she really doesn't know she's changing, you know? Maybe – maybe when the creature takes over, she blacks out."

"Like a really hot Incredible Hulk." Dean deadpanned. "Come on, dude, she ganked her boss and her ex-boyfriend. That doesn't sound rash and unconscious."

"Yeah, but what if it was, Dean? I mean, what if some animal part of her brain saw both those guys as threats? Hell, the cop, too."

"What are you, _the Dog Whisperer_ now?"

"Wait, Dean, Sam has a point here." I said.

"What? Come on, she's killing people!"

"I know, but look at her out there." I said, gesturing to the living room. "She's crying. She's a mess."

"She's acting."

"She'd have to be a pretty good actor. A quality monsters usually don't possess."

"Look." Sam said. "I just- I don't know, there- there- there was something in her eyes. I don't think she has any control over it."

"Exactly. She can't control it. Even if she's telling the truth, it's not gonna change anything." Dean shrugged.

"I'm not putting a bullet through some girl's chest who has no idea what's happening."

"Sam, she's a monster, and you're feeling sorry for her?"

"Maybe I understand her."

"Okay." I said, stopping them before this went too far. "There might be another way we can do this without having to kill her."

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Dean asked, watching as I pulled the journal out of the bag I was carrying.

"John did have a theory..." I muttered, flipping through the pages of the journal, finally finding the right one. " _Lycanthropy might have a cure if you kill the werewolf who bit you, severing the bloodline."_

" _Might_ have a cure." Dean said. "Meaning, who the hell knows?"

"It's worth a shot." Sam said hopefully.

"We don't even know where to start looking, alright? I mean, the puppy that bit her could be anyone, anywhere. It could've been years ago."

"No. I don't think so." Sam muttered, going back out into the living room. Dean followed reluctantly, leaning against the door jam next to me as Sam stood in front of Madison.

"Madison, when were you mugged?" Sam asked, gaining no answer from Madison. "Please. It's important, alright? Just answer the question."

"About a month ago." She mumbled.

"Did you see the guy?"

"No. He grabbed me from behind."

"Did he bite you?"

Madison paused, looking up at Sam in confusion. "How did you know that?"

"Where?"

"On, on the back of my neck." She muttered, watching Sam closely as he set his gun down before going behind her, brushing her hair way of the way, revealing a golf ball size scar there.

"Oh, that's just a love bite. Believe me, that could have been a lot worse." Dean said dryly. "Where were you at the time?"

"Walking home from a friend's loft."

"Let me guess, not too far from Hunter's Point?" I asked.

"Yeah." Madison muttered. I nodded, heading back into the other room with the boys right behind me.

"That's the same place where those other murders happened. I'm telling you, it's a werewolf's hunting grounds." Sam said.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean it's gonna be out there tonight." I said.

"It's the right time of the lunar cycle." Sam said, letting out a sigh. "Look, I know it's a long shot."

"Hey, you're forgetting something. Maddie's probably gonna turn soon." Dean pointed out. "We can't just let her take off to an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"I'll stay with her."

"And if she busts loose?" Dean asked, gaining no response from his brother. "Sam?"

"I'll do it."

"Sam."

"I'll shoot her, alright? But I need you to go out there. At least go look for the thing." Sam said, his eyes pleading, emotion pouring through them. "Dean, please. We can save this girl."

"Okay." I nodded, answering for both of us, though I knew Dean wasn't about to say no to Sam right now. "We'll do it."

"Yeah." Dean agreed, the two of us heading out of the kitchen.

I paused on the way out, seeing the misery on Madison's face as she cried harder. "It'll be okay, Madison."

She watched me with tear filled eyes, clearly not believing me. Dean and I left then as Sam pulled up a chair in front of her.

* * *

 **HUNTER'S POINT – NIGHT**

Dean and I carefully made our way through the streets in the dark, keeping our eyes pealed. We had been out here for a while now, and nothing seemed to be going on. I knew exactly what would happen if we didn't pull this off and it killed me. I didn't even want to think about it.

"I know Sam wants to save her, but I just don't think it's gonna happen." Dean said, having no issue discussing the subject.

"All we can do is wait and see." I said, kicking the ground with the toe of my boot. "I think he really likes her."

"She is pretty-"

"Hot, I know." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. "But it's more than that."

"You think?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

We couldn't have been waiting there for more than a few minutes when the sound of a loud howl broke through the air, followed by a woman running past us, her heels clicking as she went. Dean and I ducked into an alleyway, waiting to see if anything was following her.

When nothing passed, we slowly exited the alley, making our way down the street in the direction the woman had gone. A few feet away, we came upon another alley way just as the woman was being dragged across the ground by her leg.

"Hey!" I shouted, cocking my gun. When the werewolf looked up, Dean and I both shot him a total of three times in the chest. He fell backwards, slowly changing back into a human, revealing himself to be Madison's neighbor, Glen. The woman stood up, glancing back at us before running away again.

"Hey, don't mention it!" Dean shouted after her as I went over to Glen, who was coughing and choking, his mouth covered in blood as his fangs retracted.

"It happened...again. Where am I?" He asked, coughing up more blood. "H- help me."

"I'm sorry." I muttered, keeping my voice calm, trying not to get too emotional.

"Oh, God. Oh my God." Glen panicked, coughing.

"Alright, easy, Glen. Just take it easy." Dean said, standing behind me. A few moments later, Glenn slumped back, his eyes glazing over as he took his last breath.

"Shit." I sighed, standing upright next to Dean.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

 **MADISON'S APARTMENT – DAY**

Dean and I waited inside the Impala for Sam, who was exiting the apartment building, making his way over to us.

"So the werewolf was Glen?" He asked, sitting in the car.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"It was sort of sad, actually. Glen had no clue what was going on." Dean muttered, glancing back at me.

"It was."

"Hey, why do you think he turned Madison instead of just killing her in the first place?"

"I don't know. I mean, he kind of seemed to have a thing for her." Sam shrugged.

"Maybe his primal instinct did, too." Dean smirked. "Maybe he was looking for a little, uh, hot breeding action."

"Yeah. Something like that." Sam mumbled.

"So?"

"So what?" Sam asked.

"Speaking of Madison …?"

"Oh, whatever." Sam said, brushing it off.

"Don't _whatever_ me, man, you liked her." Dean said, not afraid to point out the obvious. "Hey, maybe we-"

"Dean, she thought I was a stark-raving lunatic."

"You saved her life."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that."

"Speak of the devil." I mumbled, spotting Madison walking up to the car in the side mirror.

"What?" Sam asked, looking back to me.

"You know, for a stake-out, your car's a bit conspicuous." Madison said, startling Sam as she stood in front of the passenger window. "What are you still doing here?"

"Honestly, we're pretty sure you're not gonna turn tonight." I told her. "But we have to be a hundred percent...so, we're, you know…. lurking."

"I know this sounds crazy." Sam said.

"Sure does." Madison nodded, looking back to the apartment building for a moment before returning to gaze to Sam. "Well, if we're gonna wait it out…we might as well do it together."

* * *

Madison led us into her apartment, heading over to the couch with a sigh. When she wasn't looking, I pushed Sam forward while Dean and I hung back by the door. Sam glanced back at me, narrowing his eyes slightly as he cautiously went over, sitting on one of the chairs.

"You were telling the truth, weren't you?" Madison asked. "About everything. What you did, it was to help me."

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"I did all of those horrible things...when I turned."

"You didn't know."

"So, when will we know for sure? Moonrise?" She asked.

"No, I don't think so. You turned middle of the night last night. I think we've gotta hang in until sun-up." Sam said, glancing back at Dean and I. Dean nodded, taking a few steps forward.

"Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a few hours to kill. Poker, anyone?" Dean asked, a grin creeping onto his lips as his eyes darted between Madison and I. "Maybe even _strip_ poker?"

Madison raised an eyebrow, her mouth popping open slightly as she stared up at him. Sam shook his head, looking like he wanted to apologize for his brother, but didn't know how.

"That'd be great." I smiled. "Except the one flaw in your plan."

"I don't see one."

"You'll end up seeing your adult baby brother butt naked." I said, grinning as the look of realization hit him. Sam chuckled lightly behind me. Madison glanced over at him, a smile on her face as she watched him laugh. "But, you know, whatever floats your boat-"

"Forget it." Dean said quickly.

"No, it was your idea-"

"Well, I take it back." Dean muttered. "We'll do something else."

"Good call."

* * *

As weird as it felt to just sit around with Madison waiting to see if she would change or not, it was nice getting to know her. She was a really sweet person, which made me believe even more that she was perfect for Sam.

Just the way they interacted with each other, it seemed really natural – even though Sam was still a little nervous.

Eventually, the sun started rising in the sky and the four of us made our way over to the window to watch it come up. I leaned against Dean's chest, a small smile on my face as I looked over to Madison and Sam.

God, they would be so cute together.

"Does- does this mean it worked?" Madison asked hopefully, looking back at Sam.

"Yeah. I think so." Sam smiled in relief.

"Oh, God, thank you. Thank you so much!" Madison exclaimed, giving Sam a tight hug. Dean cleared his throat and Madison pulled away with a laugh, a small smile on her face as she looked to us. "You too, guys. Thank you."

As silence fell over us, I noticed a very distinct change of mood in the room, glancing back at Dean to see that he was thinking the same thing.

"Well, I think we should be heading out.." I muttered, wrapping my arm around Dean's looking up at him. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, I'd say it's time to go." Dean agreed, the both of us walking backwards to the door, a grin on his face. "Gotta head back to the motel...and do... _stuff_."

"Have fun kids." I smirked, wagging my eyebrows at Sam and Madison, causing them both to blush and chucle awkwardly.

As soon as Dean and I exited the apartment, Dean pumped his fist in the air, a big smile on his face. "Yeah!"

"You know, you're all to consumed with your brother's sex life." I laughed. "It's kind of weird."

"Hey, you're in it just as much as me." Dean said, shooting me a pointed look.

"I know we mean well, but I wonder if we're too pushy with Sam."

"Well...he needs to get laid." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right." I nodded, not able to disagree. "So, what should we do now?"

"I'm sure we can figure something out." Dean said, shooting me a smirk.

"Something that'll keep up busy the _whole_ night?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know it."

"Can't wait." I smiled, pulling him down to place a long, deep kiss on his lips.

When we finally pulled apart, Dean all but dragged me back to the Impala, still finding time to kiss my neck on the way. Once we were inside the car, I pulled Dean's lips back to mine for a moment before moving back so he could drive to the motel.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

A loud knock pounded on the door, breaking me out of my deep sleep as I laid on Dean's bare chest. I groaned, rolling onto my back.

"What the hell." I complained, hiding my head under the covers like that would somehow stop the noise. "Dammit, I was having a good dream, too, for once."

"What was it about?" Dean asked, still half asleep.

"Last night." I said, a small smile on my lips as Dean rolled over, hovering over me, kissing me deeply. After a small lull, the knocking continued, only more rapidly this time. Dean let out a heavy breath, pushing himself off the bed.

"Guys!" Sam shouted through the door.

"Hang on!" Dean yelled, pulling a pair of jeans on, throwing me a t-shirt so that I wasn't completely nude under here. Once I'd gotten the shirt on, Dean answered the door and Sam barged in, his breathing rapid. "What happened?"

"You guys didn't answer your phones!" Sam exclaimed. "She- she turned."

"What?" Dean and I asked in unison, completely baffled.

"I couldn't grab her in time." Sam said, tears nearly forming in his eyes.

"We'll find her, Sammy." Dean told him, throwing on a shirt, handing me some pants to slip on under the covers.

Once I was dressed, we headed out to go and search for Madison. I couldn't believe that was even something we had to do. I really thought everything worked, I thought we'd saved her.

"I already called Bobby. He doesn't know anything. Except he knew severing the bloodline wouldn't work. That's everyone. They all say it's impossible to reverse it." Sam said as we walked to the Impala.

"How come she didn't turn when we were with her?" I asked.

"So, what, you put her to bed and then she wolfed out?" Dean asked. "Maybe she's gotta be asleep to turn."

"What the hell does it matter?" Sam asked, his eyes darting as he tried to come up with a solution. "Look, we've gotta find some way to help her, some legend we missed or something."

"If there was, don't you think someone we know would've known it?" Dean asked.

"Well, then we have to look harder!" Sam exclaimed, becoming upset. "Until we find something."

"Sammy, I don't think we've got a choice here anymore." Dean said, trying to break it to him gently.

"What?"

"I hate to say it. She's a sweet girl, but part of her is-"

"Evil?" Sam finished.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, that's what they say about me, Dean! So me, you won't kill, but her you're just gonna blow away?!" Sam asked.

"Sam, it's not like that." I said.

"It's exactly like that!" Sam said, interrupted by his phone ringing. "Madison, where are you?"

"What the hell are we gonna do Dean?" I asked while Sam spoke to Madison.

"I think we know what we have to do."

"Alright, hold on, Maddie." Sam said. My heart broke at the nickname. They were already doing that? "We're coming to get you, just stay where you are."

"I don't want to do this, Dean." I said, looking up at him. "We can't do this."

"We have to." Dean said just as Sam walked back over to us.

"Come on, we gotta go. She's waiting." Sam said, heading over to the passenger side of the Impala. Dean and I shared a look, making our way over to the car.

* * *

 **MADISON'S APARTMENT – DAY**

The gun sat uncomfortably close on top of the table in the middle of the room as Madison sat on the couch, looking down with tears in her eyes.

"I don't remember anything. I probably killed someone last night. Didn't I?"

"There's no way to know yet." I told her sadly.

"Is there something else we can try to make it go away?" Madison asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"We'll find something. I mean, there's gotta be some answer, somewhere." Sam said desperately.

"That's not entirely true. Madison, you deserve to know. We've scoured every source. There's just no cure." Dean said, opting to tell her the truth rather than let her believe a lie.

"Is- is he right?" Madison asked, looking up to Sam, who turned away, getting choked up. My heart instantly broke when I saw him like that.

All I wanted to do was take the pain away.

"We could- at night, we could just make sure that you're somewhere safe..." I said, trying my hardest to come up with something.

"But...you bust out, and some night you will, someone else dies." Dean added, saying the part I didn't want to. "I'm sorry. I am."

"So, I guess that's all there is to it, then." Madison said, more tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Stop it. Don't talk like that." Sam said.

"Sam, I don't wanna hurt anyone else. I don't wanna hurt you." She said, picking up the gun, handing it to him.

"Put that down." Sam said, keeping his hands away from it.

"I can't do it myself. I need you to help me."

"Madison, no." Sam pleaded, his own tears forming.

"Sam… I'm a monster."

"You don't have to be. We could find a way, alright? I can. I'm gonna save you."

"You tried." Madison said, crying harder as she pushed the gun towards Sam again, trying to make him take it.. "I know you tried. But this is all there is left. Help me, Sam. I want you to do it. I want it to be you."

"I can't."

"I don't wanna die. I don't. But I can't live like this. This is the way you can save me. Please. I'm asking you to save me."

Sam shook his head again, looking away from her as Dean made his way over, carefully taking the gun from Madison's hands. Sam moved past me, walking into the other room where I followed him, hearing Dean walking behind me.

"Sam..." I called, listening to him choking back tears. "I'm so sorry. We- we don't have to do this, Sam. We'll figure something out. We'll keep her and everyone else safe, we-"

"No, Dean is right." He said, looking up with tears in his eyes. "Madison's right."

"Sammy, I got this one. I'll do it." Dean said, the gun still in his hand.

"She asked me to."

"But you don't have to, Sam." I said.

"Yes, I do. Please." He said, tears streaming down his cheeks as he held his hand out for the gun. I watched as Dean handed him the gun. "Just wait here."

Sam glanced back at us, his whole body shaking as he headed into the living room. I finally let the tears fall, feeling them running down my cheeks the moment Sam's back was turned. I looked up to Dean, seeing a tear rolling down his cheek as well.

Dean wrapped an arm around me tightly and I rested my head on his chest, the both of us just waiting.

A few seconds passed and just when I thought Sam wasn't able to do it, it happened.

The sound of a single gunshot echoed throughout the apartment, followed by complete and total silence.

* * *

 **Literally one of the saddest episodes of Supernatural ever. Poor Sammy :(**

 **This chapter has more Dean and Tori moments, as requested. Though I know I don't really go too in depth with the 'naughty parts'. I honestly want to put more a little more into it, but I'm also a little nervous about writing something like that. Not sure why, but I'm certainly no E. L. James and probably never will be lol**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**

 ***Follow me and tell me I'm pretty! ;)  
**

 **Twitter: phoenixfire779  
Instagram: phoenixfirefanfiction **


	19. Hollywood Babylon

_Welcome to your life  
There's no turning back  
Even while we sleep  
We will find you  
Acting on your best behavior  
Turn you back on mother nature  
_… _.._

 _It's my own design  
It's my own remote  
Help me turn aside  
Help me make the most of freedom  
And of pleasure  
Nothing ever lasts forever  
_…

 _There's a room where the light won't find you  
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down  
When they do I'll be right behind you  
So glad we've almost made it  
So sad they had to fade it  
Everybody wants to rule the world_

 _I can't stand this indecision married with a lack of vision_  
 _Everybody wants to rule the world_  
 _Say that you'll never, never, never, never need it_  
 _One headline, why believe it?_  
 _Everybody wants to rule the world_

 _ **Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World**_

* * *

Currently, we were sitting in a tour trolley of _Warner Brother's Studios_ on probably one the coldest days ever, listening to the overtly happy guide rattle on endlessly about the lots and buildings we had been driving around.

See, it was Sam's idea to come here in the first place, having read online about a crew member dying in a _strange way_ on the set of a new movie that was being filmed here. But it was Dean's idea to sit through a stupid three hour long tour on the way.

Needless to say, I didn't really want to be here right now. What took place only a few days ago still weighed heavily on my mind. I just didn't understand. Like Sam hadn't been through enough.

"Tell me why we're doing this again?" I asked, sandwiched in between Dean and the side of a trolley wall.

"We never get to have any fun-"

"Dean, I don't think we should be _having fun_ right now." I said, looking up a few seats to where Sam was placed. "He's so...he's just not acting like himself. He's miserable."

After a few moments of silence, Dean turned to a pre-teen kid eating ice cream behind us. "Hey, you know this is where they filmed _Creepshow_?"

The kid rolled his eyes, ignoring Dean as he went back to eating his ice cream.

"Dean, leave the kid alone." I said, wrapping my arms around myself. "Jesus, it's friggin' freezing out here."

"Hey! You said a bad word!" The kid cried, glaring at me.

"Oh, shove it." I mumbled, folding my arms.

"Whoa, what is up with you today?" Dean asked, looking over at me with wide eyes as he tried to not laugh at the kids expression.

"I think you're the only one who didn't take what happened to heart."

"Don't say that." Dean muttered, shaking his head. "I'm just trying to help Sammy get over it."

"Dean, that's not something you can just _get over._ You know that."

"I know." Dean sighed.

"Now, to the right, here is _Stars Hollow_. It's the setting for the television series, _Gilmore Girls_. And if we're lucky, we might even catch one of the show's stars." The tour guide said, wagging his eyebrows.

"Let's hope not." I huffed, folding my arms. Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat in front of ours, glancing back. Dean shot him a big smile, giving him a thumbs up. I caught Sam's eye, shooting him an apologetic look as the trolley stopped.

I knew Dean meant well, but I could tell Sam was getting fed up with all of this already. And I couldn't say I blamed him.

"Come on." Sam muttered, standing to his feet.

"Let's finish the tour!" Dean called. I quickly stood, nearly knocking him off the bench as I got out.

"Stay if you want, I'm out."

"Oh, come on."

"Dean!" I shouted from Sam's side, narrowing my eyes at Dean to follow – which he did.

We started walking along the pavement, making our way through various sets and trailers, when Dean suddenly grabbed my arm, shaking it.

"Check it out, it's Matt Damon!" He said excitedly.

"I'm pretty sure that's not Matt Damon." I said, glancing over at a man in a dark blue jump suit.

"No, it is."

"Uh-huh. Well, Matt Damon just picked up a broom and started sweeping."

"W _ell_ , he's probably researching a role or something."

"What role could he possibly need to learn how to _sweep_ for?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Another janitor?"

Dean paused for a moment, shrugging. "Maybe."

"Hey, this way, uh, I think Stage nine is over here." Sam muttered, pointing to a sign across the way.

"Come on, man, let's keep going this way." Dean said, grabbing my arm to hold me back when I stared walking towards Sam.

"No, come on, we've gotta work." Sam said. Dean let out a long, dejected sigh. "Dude, you wanted to come to LA."

"Yeah, for a vacation. I mean, swimming pools and movie stars! Not to work."

"This seem like swimming pool weather to you?" Sam asked. "It's practically Canadian."

"Yeah. I just figured that, you know, after everything that happened with...Madison, y-you could use a little _R-and-R_ , that's all." Dean shrugged. I cringed as he said her name, watching Sam's reaction closely.

He shut it eyes for a moment longer than necessary, taking in a deep breath. "Well, maybe I wanna work, Dean. Maybe it keeps my mind off things."

"Right. Which is exactly what we're going to do." I nodded, shooting Dean a look before turning back to Sam. "So, what happened here again?"

"Rumors have been spreading like wildfire online. They're saying the set's haunted."

"So like _Poltergeist_?" I asked incredulously.

"Could be a poltergeist." Sam shrugged.

"No, no, no. Like, the movie _Poltergeist_." Dean explained, to which, Sam just shrugged again. "You know nothing of your cultural heritage, do you? It was rumored that the set of _Poltergeist_ was cursed. That they used real human bones as props. And, like, at least three of the actors died in it."

"Well, yeah, it might be something like that."

"So this crew guy, what was his name?" I asked.

"Frank Jaffey."

"Frank Jaffey – he got a death certificate or a coroner's report or anything?" Dean asked.

"Well, no. But, uh, it's LA, you know? It might not even be his real name. But the girl who found him, she said she saw something – a vanishing figure."

"What's the girl's name?"

"Uh, _Tara Benchley_?"

"Oh, god." I mumbled, knowing immediately what was about to happen.

"What?" Sam asked. I nodded up to Dean, seeing his excited grin already in place.

" _Tara Benchley_? _Fear dot Com_ and _Ghost Ship_ , Tara Benchley?" Dean asked, practically giggling. "Dude, why didn't you say so?"

"So now, you're suddenly on board?" Sam asked, furrowing his brow.

"Oh, I just- I mean, I'm a fan of her work. It's very good." Dean muttered, trying to play it cool.

"I think a _fan_ is a little bit of an understatement." I smiled.

"No it's not."

"Dean, you would binge watch her movies for hours on end at Bobby's."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Sam asked.

"You were too busy _reading_ " Dean complained.

"All while Dean was drooling over a B-movie actress."

"She's an amazing actress."

"Yeah, so am I." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

There were a bunch of people mulling around as we entered the set, doing various things to prepare the studio. One of the men was dressed in a suit, sun glasses sitting on top of his head. He spoke to a shorter man dressed in jeans and a white button down.

"Yeah, and who says horror has to be dark, you know? It's just, it's sort of depressing, don't you think?" The man in the suit asked, glancing over at the three of us as we entered. "Uh, excuse me, _Green Shirt Guy_?" Dean pointed to him quizzically. "Yeah, you. Come here."

Dean glanced back at Sam and I, shrugging as he made his way over to the man. "Uh, yeah?"

"Can you get me a smoothie from Kraft?"

"You want a _what_ from _who_?" Dean asked, confused.

The man scoffed, shaking his head. "You are a P.A.? This is what you do?"

Sam quickly made his way over to Dean's side, smiling at the man. "Yeah, yeah. He, uh- one smoothie coming right up."

The man nodded, walking away with the other one he had been speaking to by his side.

"What's a P.A.?" Dean asked.

"I think they're kind of like slaves." Sam muttered.

"Well, either way, it's a good enough cover for me." I said. "At least we'll be able to hang around here without it looking weird."

The man in the suit glanced back over at Dean, tapping his watch and throwing his arms up in exasperation. I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head.

"I guess that means I should go?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"I guess." I shrugged. When Dean walked away, I looked up to Sam. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, looking to the ground. "We should really get started."

"Right." I nodded, grabbing his arm to stop him as he tried to walk away. "But Sam, if you need to talk-"

"I know. I can talk to you." Sam said, a small smile on his face. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Shorty."

"Hey, you!" Another man called from a little ways away, pointing to me as he walked over. "Hey!"

"What?" I snapped, quickly trying to correct my tone as the man made his way over. "Yeah?"

"You're one of the P.A's right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you're gonna have to listen a lot better if you want to keep this job." He said. Sam chuckled at the annoyed look on my face as I stood there, arms folded.

"Of course." I muttered through gritted teeth.

"Good. Now, why don't you go and get me a smoothie?"

"Right." I smiled, watching him walk over to the set. "Can't promise I won't spit in it."

"Well, I'll leave you to it." Sam said, smiling at me as he backed away. I certainly wasn't one to be ordered around, so today was gonna be...long.

After a moment of taking a few deep breaths, I headed over to the service table where Dean was collecting a few smoothies onto a tray.

* * *

Between running completely idiotic errands for people, I was trying to find out anything that I could about what was going on here. Though after a few hours, nothing came up. And all of my searching was put on hold when the director announced that filming would be starting soon.

"Alright, hold the noise, we're rolling!" The director shouted.

The actors filled up the set of a small, rundown room, waiting for their cue. I stood back, watching as Dean went over to some scaffolding, making his way up. The lights dimmed and the actors took their places on set.

"Why don't we take it from _come on, it'll be fun."_ The director said. "And, action!"

Tara Benchley held a book open in front aof her, looking up at the other actors with a sly grin. "Come on, it'll be fun."

I cringed as she started reading from the book, slowing her words to a near stop as she attempted to speak Latin. I heard the scaffolding shake slightly, looking up to see Dean's leg disappear as he climbed up the last rung.

"Maybe we'll finish this up tomorrow." The director muttered.

"Oh my God, I hate you so much right now. You know?" Tara spat, breaking character.

"Cut!"

Everyone around me erupted into laughter as I stood there, straight faced, my arms folded. Don't get me wrong, I love watching a bad movie just as much as anyone else – but this was a whole new kind of horrible.

When Dean had climbed down, I made my way over to him, trying to stay subtle. "Anything?"

"Nope." He replied as we made our way over to the service table where Sam was waiting, a questioning look on his face. "No EMF anywhere."

"Great. So, what do you think?" Sam asked.

"Being here sucks ass." I said.

"But the food these people get, are you kidding me? I mean look at these things." Dean said, picking up a tiny sandwich. "They're like miniature Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. They're delicious."

"That's great, Dean." I muttered, shaking my head when he held one out to me, then Sam.

"Maybe later." Sam mumbled. Dean shrugged, taking a huge bite.

"What'd you find out about the dead crew guy?"

"Uh, Frank Jaffey was just filling in for the day. Nobody here knew him or where he lived or anything."

"Oh, great. So you found out about as much as I did."

"No, not quite. I-"

"Hey, guys." A man interrupted, a small smile on his face.

"Oh, hey." Dean smiled.

"Sorry.." He muttered, leaning in to pick up a sandwich.

"Oh, it's alright." Dean said, watching as he walked away with a sandwich. "They're wonderful!"

"Listen, I did dig up some stuff about Stage nine's history." Sam said.

"And?" I asked.

"Yeah, four people died messy here over the past eighty years. Two suicides and two fatal accidents."

"Any one of those could be a vengeful spirit."

"Yeah. We've just gotta narrow it down more. So-" Sam stopped, noticing that Dean wasn't listening anymore. I followed Dean's gaze to see Tara as she walked back onto set.

A big grin spread across his face as he watched her, looking fixated. "I'll get right on that."

"Dean, please, have some self-control." I said.

"Oh, I've got plenty of that." Dean mumbled, making his way over to her. I shared a look of exasperation with Sam before quickly going after Dean, following closely behind.

Honestly, I just wanted to see if he'd make a fool out of himself or not.

"Are you supposed to get one of these?" He asked nervously. I narrowed my eyes at her as she took him in, dragging her eyes up and down his body. "I– I don't really know what I'm doing."

"First day?" She asked, smiling up at him.

"Yeah. My big break." He chuckled, turning on full charm. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms as I watched. "You know, I know it's really uncool to say this, but I– I'm a big fan. I loved you in Boogeyman."

"Oh, God, what a terrible script. But thank you." She smiled.

"Yeah." Dean paused, seeing me behind her. I waved at him, tiling my head to the side. He refocused his eyes on Tara, pulling in a keep breath. "You found him, right? The- the dead guy?"

"Um." She muttered, looking away.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't even wanna talk about this."

"No, no, actually. It's- it's okay. Nobody around here really brings it up very much." She said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I think they're all scared I'm gonna have some kind of breakdown."

"That must have been awful. What happened?"

"It was horrible. There- there was all this blood coming from his eyes and from his mouth. And, uh... I saw this, um..." She stopped, looking a little embarrassed.

"What?"

"I saw this shape. To tell you the truth, I–I don't know actually, what I saw. I just know I saw it."

Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder, turning around to see a guy standing there, a small smile on his face. It took a moment before I recognized him as one of the actors.

"Oh, hi." I muttered, remembering what role I was playing here. "Can, uh- can I get you anything?"

"What's your name?" He asked, ignoring my question.

"Uh, Tori."

"I'm Shawn." He smiled, holding his hand out. I shook it, noticing how he held my hand a few seconds longer than necessary.

"Hello, Shawn..."

"I haven't seen you around set before."

"I just started today."

"Oh." He muttered, not making any attempt to cover up the fact that he was practically undressing me with his eyes.

"Breaks over!" The director called, stopping me just as I was about to snap at him. Tara jumped down from her chair, throwing Dean another smile before walking past Shawn and I.

"Looks like I have to go." Shawn muttered. "I'll see you around."

"Alright." I nodded unenthusiastically.

Dean came up behind me then, watching the guy walk away. "Was Shawn Thatcher just talking to you?"

"Yeah."

"What did he want?"

"I think he tried to hit on me."

"What?" Dean asked, immediately narrowing his eyes at Sean.

"You're adorable when you're jealous." I smiled, pinching his cheek.

Dean batted my hand away, shaking his head. "I'm not-"

"No, no. I know. Of course you're not."

"Did you see him? There's nothing to be jealous of."

"I don't know, he's kinda cute." I shrugged, turning back to see Dean glaring down at me. "Find anything out from Tara?"

"Oh, yeah." Dean nodded, holding up a binder with a picture of an older man taped inside.

"Wait, is that-"

"We have to go, like, now." Dean said, heading back over to Sam to show him what he'd found.

"Who's that?" Sam asked, looking up at Dean in confusion.

" _Who's that_?" Dean asked, his eyebrows raised. "Who- come on."

"You know who that is?" Sam asked me.

"Sadly, I do." I sighed.

* * *

 **ST. JAMES RESIDENCE - DAY**

As Dean had explained to Sam on the way over here, _Gerard St. James was one of the best actors out there_. Though I couldn't really say I agreed with him.

The Impala pulled up in front of a good sized home, a few trees and flows planted out front surrounding the walkway up to the small porch. We made our way over to the door, knocking on it.

"This is so exciting." Dean gushed. I couldn't help but smile, loving it when he was happy. A few moments later, an older man answered the door, a look of confusion on his face as he took us in.

"Hello?"

"Gerard St. James?" Dean asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"Well, you're still alive." I said.

"And you're not Frank Jaffey." Sam added.

"Uh, no?" Gerard said obviously.

"You were _Desert Soldier Number Four_ in _Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn_?" Dean asked.

"I was."

"I knew I recognized you. I am a huge fan. I mean, your turn as a tractor crash victim in _Critters 3_ -"

" _Critters 3_!" Gerard exclaimed, clearly surprised that anyone would have watched that horrible movie.

"Wow. Yeah." Dean smiled.

"Well, please, come in." Gerard said, moving to the side.

We entered the clean, open house, making our way into the living room where the walls were piratically lined with different posters of Gerard from several movies that he'd been in over the years. as Gerard disappeared into the kitchen.

"Wow." Dean sighed, looking around in awe. "This is awesome."

"I guess." Sam shrugged, not really getting it.

"He's having a moment, Sam." I smiled, patting Dean on the arm.

Just then Gerard came back in, carrying a small tray with a few cups of coffee lined on it. "Here you go."

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the cup he handed me. "So, how exactly did you get into this mess?"

"It was the producers. They brought me up for the day to play Frank."

"Just to fake your death?" Dean asked.

"Well, rumors of a haunted film set, free publicity, especially when you're making a horror movie. I mean, uh, it's already all over the Internet."

"Yeah. We know." Sam nodded.

"These days, it's all about new media, building buzz. They say I'm the new _lonelygirl_."

"And the ghost Tara saw?"

"Projected on a screen of diffusion."

"Isn't that kind of, I don't know, cruel?" I asked. "Messing with their heads like that?

"Hey, I just play the part. I don't write the script. Speaking of, I'm playing Willy in a- in a dinner theater production of _Salesman_ at Costa Mesa, all next month." He said, handing Dean a flyer. "You get a free pepper steak with the coupon."

Dean laughed, fingering the paper in his hands, looking down at it for a moment before returning his eyes to Gerard. "Now, wait a second. If you're, if you're seen in public, won't that ruin the hoax?"

"Oh, please.." He scoffed. "Frank and Willy? Totally different characters."

"And they somehow have the same face..." I commented, raising an eyebrow as Gerard stared at me like I'd just ripped down his whole entire world. "Uh, sorry."

"You know what? Thanks very much, Mr. St. James." Sam said, wanting to get out as fast as possible. "It was just nagging at us, you know? But we're- we're very glad...you know, you're alive and well."

"Absolutely." Dean nodded as Gerard shook our hands.

"Okay, then."

"Hey, I wanted to ask you...what was it like working with _Richard Moll_?" Dean asked, glancing back to a confused Sam. " _Metalstorm_. He was _Hurok, King of the Cyclops people_."

"Gentlemen's gentleman." Gerard nodded.

"Yeah?" Dean chuckled, brandishing the flyer. "Alright. Pepper steak."

"Well, thanks for you time." I said, gently pushing Dean back towards the front door.

"Sure." Gerard smiled, opening the door for us.

"First of all, you call me a nerd and look at you!" Sam said, looking over at his brother as we headed back out to the Impala. "You're the biggest movie geek of them all."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a _geek_ -"

"And why do you know these things?" Sam asked, looking over at me.

"Who do you think had to sit down and watch all those movies with him?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, you like them." Dean said pointedly.

" _Some of them_. Some of them are okay." I said, a small smile on my face. "So I guess this means we're done here."

"Guess so." Sam murmured, looking a little upset.

"We can stick around." Dean suggested.

"No, we should go. See if we can find something else."

"Alright." Dean sighed, getting in the driver seat. We made a quite drive back to the motel where we decided we'd stay one more night and head out in the morning.

* * *

Sam was sitting at the table, typing away on the laptop as I flicked through the channels, hearing the water shut off in the bathroom as Dean got out of the shower.

"Oh my god." Sam muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember that guy, Brad Redding?"

"Yeah." I nodded, sitting up.

"He's dead."

"What?"

"According to this website, he died last night."

"Who died?" Dean asked, exiting the bathroom.

"Brad Redding."

"Who?"

"He was one of the studio executives."

"Does this mean we have to go back?" I asked unenthusiastic.

"Yeah." Sam said, standing up. "I'll check the morgue, see if it's even true. In the meantime, you guys can head back to the studio."

"No, Sam, please take me with you."

"Should Dean really be alone around Tara?"

"Oh, please." I scoffed. "Like anything's gonna happen there."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed. "Something could happen."

"Oh, really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Something better not happen unless you want to know what it's like living without a di-"

"Alright!"

"Listen, if something really is started to go on there, you should stay with Dean to make sure no one else gets hurt." Sam said.

"Yeah, I guess." I sighed. "See you there, then."

"Alright." Sam said, leaving the motel.

* * *

 **STUDIO NINE – MORNING**

The way people were acting around here you never would've known that somebody had just died. It was kind of sad, really, that everything was just carrying on like normal even though, according to that website, Brad had died literally right on set.

I stood off to the sidelines again, watching the actors all walk onto set, a few of them getting their makeup touched up before they started filming again. I subtly pulled out my EMF meter, walking around aimlessly as I pointed it at different things.

Suddenly, it started beeping wildly, catching me off guard.

"What's that?" A voice asked from behind me. I spun around putting the meter behind my back, looking up to see Sean standing there.

"Oh, uh- cellphone."

"Really? Looked kinda weird."

"Just a cellphone." I smiled, tucking it in my back pocket. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I have to get on set." He smiled, leaning down on the table next to him. "So, I'd really like it if you stuck around – watched me."

"Watched you do what?" I asked, slightly confused.

"You know, what I do best. _Act_." He smiled, reaching out to run his finger through a strand of bangs that was hanging lose from my ponytail. I froze, trying my hardest to keep myself from punching him. "I can see you're playing coy, but it's okay. I know you've seen my stuff, I know you're a big fan-"

"No-"

"It's okay. Don't try to deny it." He said, stopping me. "Now you get to watch me... _in the flesh_."

"Oh...yay." I droned, trying not to roll my eyes. Sean grinned, backing up slowly, staring at me as the director called everyone to set.

Sean didn't take his eyes off of me, throwing me a wink as I made my way over to Dean, who was shoving taquitos in his mouth. Walter, one of the other P.A's stood to his side, watching the set closely. He hadn't really said much to any of us since we've been here, mostly mumbling to himself when something went wrong on set.

"What is this?" I asked, tapping the side of the headset Dean was wearing.

"Huh?" Dean asked around a mouthful of food.

"Swallow." I instructed, smiling up at him. "Why are you wearing that?"

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "I like it."

"Quiet on set!" The director yelled. "And, action!"

"Wendy?" Shawn called from the set, now in character as the lights dimmed.

"Oh, Mitch! God, you're alive!" Tara exclaimed.

"You can't get rid of me that easy."

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!" McG muttered sitting in the chair in front of Dean and I.

"Salt. Okay, we need salt. I read in that book that it keeps ghosts away." Tara said, her voice shaking in a fake panic.

"Kendra, Logan, you guys check the back." Shawn said, pointing to the other two actors who ran off the set through the back door.

From where I was standing, I could hear Marty, one of the writers, whispering to the producer about something, so I made my way over, trying to hear more.

"Jay, the poor bastard killed himself. Like, for real. Shouldn't we shut it down or something?"

"We had a moment of silence for him at breakfast. He was just a studio guy."

"Sh!" McG shushed them, stopping their conversation.

"I love you." Tara muttered.

"I know." Shawn nodded, holding up his flashlight, turning it on right in Tara's eyes. "Oh, sorry."

Tara sighed, turning towards the director. "Can we- can we cut or something?"

"Um... uh, yeah, cut. Cut!"

"That's a cut!" Dean yelled loudly into his headset.

"Only I can say cut." The director corrected Dean, making his way over to Tara, who had exited the set. "Hey, what's up?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little upset." She muttered.

"Well, with everything that's been going on around here, who can blame ya, huh?"

"I just can't wrap my head around the dialog, you know? Salt? Doesn't that sound silly? I mean, why would a ghost be afraid of salt?"

I felt a small smile spread across my face, glancing up at Dean to see that he had the same expression sitting there.

"Okay, um... Marty?"

"Yo."

"What do you think?"

"Not married to salt, what do you want? We still sticking with condiments?" Marty asked.

"It just sounds different, not better. What else would a ghost be scared of?"

"Their acting." I commented, not realizing how loud I'd said what I did until everyone turned and looked at me. Dean tried to fight back a laugh beside me, pretending to cough.

"What?" Tara asked, looking over me with a furrowed brow.

"Uh, nothing." I muttered, shaking my head. "Nothing."

"Well, if you're going to be so vocal about your opinion, do you have any ideas?" Marty asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About?"

"What would a ghost be scared of?"

"Well, how would I know that?" I asked, laughing lightly. "I'm just a P.A."

"Then keep your thoughts to yourself." The director said, looking back to the Marty.

"What about shotguns?" Marty suggested.

"Okay, that makes even less sense than salt." The director muttered.

"These people are idiots." Walter huffed, leaving in annoyance.

"Walter's a little testy for a P.A., huh?" Dean asked, glancing over at me.

"Just a little." I sighed, seeing Sam enter the building. "Hey, Sam's back."

Dean followed me as we made our way over to Sam, a good distance away from anyone so we were out of earshot.

"How's it going in here?" Sam asked.

"It's going really good, man. Tara's really stepped up her performance. I think it's probably from all the sense memory stuff she's drawing on." Dean rattled.

"Dean, he's talking about the case." I told him. "We don't really work here, remember?"

"I thought you hated being a PA, anyway" Sam asked.

"I don't know. It's not so bad. I kind of feel like part of the team, you know? It's good..." Dean muttered, holding his plate up to Sam and I. "Taquito? They're wonderful."

"No thanks." I replied.

"No." Sam shook his head. "Listen, I conned my way into the morgue."

"And?" I asked.

"News reports were right: Brad's a doornail, no question."

"Copy that." Dean muttered. "I'm sorry, what?

" _Copy that_?" Sam asked, confused.

"Copy what?" I asked.

"What did you say?" Dean asked.

"The news reports were right. Brad's a doornail-"

"They are aware." Dean said with a small nod. I looked up at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about, when I realized he was speaking into his headset the whole time.

"Who's aware?" Sam asked as I rolled my eyes, ripping Dean's headset off so he could actually hear what was going on.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, grabbing it back.

"Pay attention!" I scolded.

"Okay, I am." Dean nodded. "What's going on?"

"The newspaper's right. Brad's a doornail, no question about it." Sam repeated.

"I guess it's a good thing we didn't skip town." Dean said, putting his headset back in place.

"Yeah."

"Oh, come here. I want you to hear something." Dean said, turning around. I started to follow him, when he stopped right in front of me, causing me to slam into his back. "Copy that. On my way."

"Jesus, Dean!" I exclaimed, pushing him forward.

"Sorry." He muttered, a small smile on his face as he led us over to a sound guy sitting in front of a board. "Hey, Dave. Can you play them that thing you were playing me earlier?"

"Sure." Dave nodded, handing a pair of headphones to Sam. He opened them, bending down so that I could listen through the other ear. Dave pressed a button and the audio from part of the movie started playing.

" _Doesn't matter. We're not leaving til we find Wendy and your sister-"_ Shawn said. Suddenly the voice became distorted and full of static, ending abruptly.

"Huh." I muttered, exchanging a look with the boys as Sam handed the headphones back to Dave. "That's weird."

"EVP." Sam said as we made our way backstage where no one was around.

"From the night of Brad's stage dive." Dean said.

"I did a couple sweeps with the meter and got nothing but electromagnetic readings." I said. "Every time."

"For some reason, it's a legit haunting now."

"Well, who's the ghost then?" Sam asked. "What's it want?"

"I don't know. I think we should take a look at Brad's death scene."

* * *

 **TRAILER – DAY**

Inside the large trailer, Sam and I stood over by the couch as Dean went to the DVD player, pulling one out of his pocket.

"Where did you get this DVD?" I asked as Dean pushed it into the player.

"They're called dailies. I got it from Cindy. She's kind of got this on-and-off thing going with Drew. He dubbed me an extra copy." Dean muttered simply.

"Where the hell was I when this became a soap opera?"

Dean rolled his eyes, pointing to the TV as the footage started playing. The set looked like it always had, all the actors were standing around, saying their lines. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Alright, here's where the guy fell through the roof." Dean said. "Alright, here we go."

" _They must have super-hearing."_ Shawn muttered when suddenly Brad fell through the ceiling of the set, hanging by a noose. Everyone started screaming, running off the set and the camera quickly cut off.

"Hey, wait, go back." Sam said, obviously having caught something. Dean picked up the remote, rewinding the tape. "Right after that, yeah there."

Sam pointed to the far off corner of the set where the ghostly image of a woman stood, staring over at Brad's hanging body.

"It's like Three Men and a Baby all over again." Dean muttered. Sam shot him a confused look, raising an eyebrow. " _Selleck_ , _Danson_ , and _Guttenberg_. And... I don't know who played the baby."

"What's your point?" Sam asked.

"There's a scene in the movie where people say that the, the camera caught a ghost on film. Apparently, in the background of one of the scenes, there was this boy that nobody remembers from set. Spirit photography." Dean explained.

I looked closer at the image on the screen, knowing I recognized that woman. "I've seen her before."

"Where?"

"Sam, do you have the laptop?"

"Yeah, in the car." Sam said. "I'll go get it."

"Alright, Dean and I will wait for you back inside."

The three of us left the trailer with Sam heading in the direction of the Impala and Dean and I heading back inside the studio to one of the many tables and chairs they were set up.

"Yeah, go for Ozzy." Dean mumbled into the headset.

"Are you having fun?" I asked, sitting down.

"Well, I wouldn't call it _fun..."_ Dean said, his voice trailing off. "No, I don't have a twenty on Tara, I think she's 10-100. Okay, copy that."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy."

"How do you feel?" Dean asked, concern shining in his eyes.

"Okay." I smiled, spotting Sam enter the building with the laptop case.

"Alright, here you go." Sam said, handing me the computer as he sat down. I let out a sigh, starting up the computer to begin my search. I just hoped it wouldn't take forever to find.

"It's a go." Dean muttered.

"Is that even a term?" I asked, glancing up at him, seeing him simply shrug in response before going back to the computer. I clicked a few more links before I found what I was looking for. A triumphant smiled spread across my lips as the picture popped up on the screen. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Sam asked.

"Rose and I always used to watch old movies together, and there was an actress that she was obsessed with. She wasn't that popular, but she made a few movies in her time. Her name was Elise Drummond." I told them, turning the laptop around for them to see.

"I kind of remember Rose telling me this story." I continued. "At one point Elise had an affair with a studio exec, and after that, he fired her. Left her destitute. She snuck into the studio while a movie was being filmed and hung herself from Stage nine's rafters, right into a scene they were shooting."

"Just like our man, Brad. So, what, she's got it in for the studio brass?" Dean asked.

"Maybe. I mean, it's a motive. It would make sense. And Brad's death matches hers exactly"

"Good job, Tori." Sam smiled, pulling his laptop back in front of him.

"We're digging tonight, aren't we?" Dean asked unhappily.

"Looks like it." I mumbled, sharing the same amount of enthusiasm he'd had.

* * *

 **HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY – NIGHT**

A cold chill whipped around us as the wind moved fast through the large plot of land, rustling trees that filled the cemetery around us.

"Which way?" Sam asked.

"Uh, over there." Dean read from the map in his hand, pointing across the graveyard.

"Alright."

"This map is totally worth the five bucks!" Dean said, pointing to a memorial for Humpty Dumpty in the map as I peered over at it. "Hey, we've gotta go check out _Johnny Ramone_ 's grave when we're done here."

"Oh, yes." I said excitedly, sharing a smile with him.

"You wanna dig him up, too?" Sam asked, I gasped, looking up at him with my mouth hanging open.

"Bite your tongue, heathen!" Dean exclaimed, going back to the map before I pulled it out of his hands, looking it over myself.

"There are so many cool dead people here." I muttered. "Oh, my god, Vampira!"

After a moment of Dean and I looking the map over, I glanced up to see Sam staring at us with a disgusted, yet amused look.

"Nice to see the things you guys bond over." Sam grinned, stopping in front of a grave. "Here we are."

"That's her." I said, reading the headstone.

"You know, what I don't get is why now? I mean, after seventy-five years, Elise Drummond suddenly goes homicidal, you know? Why this movie?"

"Well, maybe she's mad they're making a scary ghost flick." Dean suggested.

"Oh, come on, it is not that scary." I muttered, staring down at the dirt with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"I just wonder...what would Rose think of me right now for doing this?" I asked, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. "I mean, I know we do this all the time, but this- I mean, this was one of her favorite people."

"She'd think you're doing the right thing." Dean said, his eyes softening when he looked into mine.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Giving a restless spirit peace."

I nodded, knowing that they were right. This is what Rose would want. She wouldn't want anyone to suffer. With a deep breath, I picked up a shovel, plunging it into the soft soil.

* * *

Once the casket was uncovered, Dean jumped into the grave, opening it to reveal Elise's bones. I handed him the kerosene, taking a step back as he poured it in before getting out. I lit a match, throwing it into the grave, watching her bones burn in the flames

* * *

 **MOTEL – NIGHT**

Dean slept softly next to me as I stared up at the ceiling, not able to fall asleep from the sound of the static coming off the police scanner Sam had by him in the bed. He was sitting upright, facing the other way, trying to mask the sound.

I stood slowly, making my way over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly, looking back at me with wide eyes.

"Sorry." I whispered. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just can't sleep. I'll shut this off if it's keeping you awake."

"No, it's okay." I said, sitting at the end of the bed by his feet. "Sam, please don't hold anything in."

"I'm not."

"You have to be." I said, watching as he looked down.

"I'm just trying to not think about it."

"I know."

"I just- the look on her face when I-" Sam stopped, tears in his eyes. I placed a hand on his leg, waiting for him to continue. "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Sam glanced up at me, a few tears streaming down his cheeks, even though he was trying to hold them back. I quickly pulled him to me, hugging him tightly as he started crying harder. I smoothed his hair back, feeling my own tears well up hearing him cry.

* * *

 **STAGE NINE – MORNING**

After Sam had finally calmed down again, we stayed up for a while just talking about whatever came to mind. It was nice to just talk to him. It felt as though we hadn't done that since we were kids. Towards the end of our conversation, a call came through on the scanner that yet another person had gotten killed at Studio Nine.

So, we got Dean up and headed down there.

"Run-in with a giant fan. Same thing happened to an electrician back in sixty-six. A guy named Billy Beard." Sam told us.

"What the hell, dude?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Doesn't seem like Elise this time, either. It's not her M.O."

"No, we already torched her."

"Are we dealing with another ghost?" I asked.

"Maybe." San shrugged.

"Yeah, but these things don't usually tag-team."

"Everybody!" McG called, getting out of his car, walking to the middle of the grounds between the trailers. "Gather around, okay! I've got an announcement to make."

Dean, Sam and I made our way over to the large crowd that had already gathered around him.

"In light of Jay's accident last night, and in cooperation with the authorities, we're shutting down production for a few days." He announced, much to people dismay.

"Thank god." I mumbled, sharing a look with Sam as everyone around us complained.

"I know, I know. Look, I'm not gonna lie to you, we've had a few setbacks this week. But we all know what Jay and Brad wanted more than anything. And that was to see _Hell Hazers 2: The Reckoning_ on screens all across America!" He exclaimed. "Now, we owe it to them to go on, and to pull together and make this damn movie, huh?"

"Yeah!" One of the crew members shouted as everyone started applauding and cheering.

"But- but not today. Go home. Someone will call you."

* * *

Once nearly everyone had left, Sam and I made our way into one of the trailers sitting next to each other on the small couch there to watch to watch some more dailies to see if we could find anything else.

Hours had passed and there was absolutely nothing but a horrible plot line to be found. Even I knew this was something we had to do, I just wanted to claw my eyes out right now.

This was quite possibly the worst form of torture.

"Please tell me we're almost done."

"I think so." Sam said, pressing a button on the remote, bringing up the remaining time left on the DVD. "Or not."

"Why?" I asked, throwing my head back.

"We have another hour of this one."

"Are you serious?" I asked, looking over at him. Sam nodded, tossing the remote back down on the table. I let out a long sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "Dear Lord, please give us the strength to make it though this difficult time. Amen."

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "Amen."

Not even a second later, the both of us let out a groan as Tara started reading some nonsensical Latin, her voice turning slow again as she tried to decipher the words.

"Why?" I asked. "Just, why?"

The trailer's door opened, and Dean stepped in, quickly closing it behind him. "Hey."

"Hi." I mumbled, sitting upright.

"So, you find out where the electrician's buried?" Sam asked.

"He wasn't. Billy Beard was cremated." Dean replied.

"Great." Sam muttered sarcastically. "Now what?"

"No idea. Any more ghost cameos in the dailies?"

"Not in the first six hours." Sam mumbled dryly. "Maybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie 'cause they think it sucks. 'Cause I mean, it kind of does."

" _Come on, it'll be fun."_ Tara spoke from the TV, starting to read Latin again. Through, this time the words weren't so jumbled, catching my attention.

"Wait, listen to that." I said, reaching for the remote to rewind the tape, listening closer as Tara read. Even though it was choppy, it could tell that it was all too authentic. "That's real."

"What?" Sam asked.

"A necromantic summoning ritual."

"What the hell is that doing in a Hollywood movie?"

* * *

 **OFFICE – DAY**

Of all the people around here we could talk to, there was really only one we could think of that would actually help us get to the bottom of this. So, we headed over to the studio's office building, making our way over to Marty's office, hearing him talking on the phone inside.

"You think he'll talk to us?" Sam asked.

"I don't see why not." I shrugged.

"Get back to me on this, alright? No, I'm serious. Dude, are you serious? 'Cause I'm serious." Marty muttered into the phone he held, his eyes going wide for a moment when he noticed me standing there. "Alright, cool. Bye."

"Hey." I smiled, entering the room with Sam and Dean behind me.

"We're all shut down. What are you still doing here? Do you need anything?" He asked, his eyes training on me. Dean narrowed his eyes, staring Marty down as he eyed me.

"Well, I just- I wanted to tell you that I- well, I just couldn't help myself." I said, a smile on my lips.

"Oh?" Marty asked suggestively.

"I read the script" I said, glancing back at Sam and Dean. "And I loved it so much, I let them read it, too."

"Yeah?"

"It's awesome." Dean nodded.

"Really awesome." Sam agreed.

"I know, it's pretty rockin', right? I'm glad you guys liked it." Marty said, clearly very flattered.

"Yeah, I really liked, uh, all the attention to detail." Sam said.

"Dude, right on, that's my thing. I mean, you know, color me guilty, but that is me. I'm- I'm a total detail buff." Marty bragged.

"I can tell. I mean, the way you worked in all those Enochian summoning rituals and all the authentic language." I said.

"What, you mean that Latin crap?" He asked. "No, man, that's Walter. Walter Dixon, the original writer. You like that garbage?"

"Wait, _Walter the P.A._ Walter?" Dean asked.

"No, he's not a P.A. He's got a clause in his contract that allows him to come on set."

"But he wrote the invocations?"

"He wrote a whack-job screenplay. There's no pace, there's no love interest, it's all wackadoo exposition. I had to cut, like, ninety percent of it to make it readable, the other ten percent to make it good."

"You made it _good_?" Sam asked, obviously not able to hide the shock he felt.

"What?" Marty asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"Uh, nothing." Sam mumbled.

"Do you think we could get a copy of Walter's original version?" I asked, biting my lip. "I'd be so cool to get to read that."

"Sure." Marty smiled, digging through one of his drawers, pulling out a screenplay titled _Lord of the Dead_ , handing it to me.

* * *

 **STUDIO NINE – DAY**

Once we finished the screenplay, I almost couldn't believe what I had just read. There was a lot of scary stuff in there, I couldn't imagine what would've happened if it got released to the public.

"Should've kept Walter's original script." Dean muttered, looking over the pages again. "It's actually pretty good."

"Good, _and_ reads like a how-to manual of conjuration." I said.

"A textbook on how to summon ghosts and get them to do whatever you want." Sam added.

"Yeah, like kill people." Dean said.

"Yep. So, let's say somewhere down the line, Walter learned some pretty black magic."

"Yeah. And let's say he's pissed at these people for wrecking his movie."

"Motive and means." I shrugged.

"It's worth checking out." Dean said.

On our way back to the Impala, we heard a bunch of screaming coming from one of the rooms in the building, quickly racing over, opening the door to see Marty on the ground, being dragged towards large fans by a spirit.

"Oh, God, no! Please, no!"

"You ruined it, Martin! Everything I worked for! Now you're gonna find out what being a ghost is really like." Walter said menacingly. Dean quickly pulled out his gun, shooting the ghost away while Sam shut off the fan.

"You are one hell of a P.A." Marty muttered to Dean, trying to catch his breath as I helped him off the ground.

"Yeah, I know."

"What are you doing?" Walter asked, looking between the three of us with wide eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing, Walter." Sam said. Suddenly, Walter took off, climbing up the stairs to the scaffolding. "Raising these spirits from the dead? Making them murder for you? That's playing with fire, Walter."

"You don't understand." Walter muttered.

"You know what? You're right, I don't understand."

"Just... wait, look. You put your heart and soul into something, years of hard work. It's years, and then they take it! And they crap all over it! And then – and then they want you to smile and say, _thank you_."

"Walter, it's just a movie. That's it." I said, looking up at him.

"Look...I've got nothing against you guys. You're not part of this. Just please- please, just leave. But Martin's gotta stay."

"Sorry, can't do that. It's not that we like him or anything." Dean commented. "It's just a matter of principle."

"Then I'm sorry, too." Walter said, raising a talisman, starting to chant.

"That's not good." I muttered, backing up towards Dean and Marty.

"Walter. Walter, pl- don't!" Sam called as the set began to shake around us and suddenly, three ghosts appeared in front of us, including Elise.

Dean raised his gun, standing in front of Marty and I as the ghosts started walking closer.

"Come on, come on!" Dean called for Sam, watching as they walked closer when out of nowhere they disappeared and Sam was pushed down to the floor.

"Sam!" I ran over to him, helping him up. "Come on, we gotta go!"

Once Sam got to his feet, we all started running for an exit as the lights began shorting out, their bulbs started breaking, sparks flying everywhere around us. We made it to another room in the building, shutting the door behind us.

"Come out to the coast! We'll get together, have a few laughs!" Dean quoted sarcastically, reloading his gun. I turned around, seeing that the room we'd entered was just another damn set, the _back_ wall completely gone.

"Guys." I called, pointing to the missing wall when they looked.

"Oh, man!"

"I can't believe this. Ghosts are real!" Marty exclaimed.

"What makes you say that?" Dean asked.

"But I don't understand. How is Walter controlling them?"

"Probably that talisman." I said, glancing over to Sam as he took his cellphone out.

"What are you doing?" Marty asked.

"I mean, if film cameras pick these suckers up, then... maybe..." He paused, using his camera to scan the room. I looked through the phone screen, watching as the image of a ghost appeared up, heading straight for Dean.

"Dean, right there!" Sam yelled, pointing in the direction of the ghost. Dean quickly shot, hitting it.

"Got him." I said, seeing another one. "There!"

"I cannot believe there's an afterlife." Marty murmured as Dean shot the other ghost.

"Oh, there's an afterlife, alright. But mostly, it's a pain in the ass." Dean said. I heard heavy footsteps echo in the distance, watching as Walter ran back up another fight of stairs to the upper level on the set.

"Keep up the good work, boys." I said, patting Sam on the shoulder. "I'll go after Walter."

Dean shot me a worried look. "Tori-"

"I'll be fine. Come outside when you're done in here." I said, making my way off the set, going through a few back rooms before I found the exit door outside, standing on the other side of it when Walter came out.

"It's over, Walter." I said, holding my hand out. "Give it to me."

Walter stared at me for a moment, his eyes darting between my hand and the ground when he suddenly threw the talisman. I watched as it hit the floor, shattering.

"There! Okay, now no one can have it."

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you." I muttered.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why not?"

"Because you just freed them. No one can stop them now." I told him, seeing Dean, Sam and Marty coming outside. "These people were innocent. You brought them back and forced them to murder."

"Yeah? So?"

"Well, they're not gonna be all that happy with you."

Just as I said that, Walter fell to the ground, screaming out in pain. Dean quickly pulled me back to his side, not sure what was happening here. Blood started to seep through Walter's clothes, pouring out of him.

"Oh my god." Marty mumbled, looking at the scene through Sam's cellphone. I peeked over at the screen, seeing all the ghosts surrounding Walter, tearing him apart.

While no one really deserved what was happening to him right now, what Walter had done was horrible, and they were getting the revenge they felt they deserved.

* * *

 **STAGE NINE – DAY**

Sam stood by Marty near the directors chair as Dean and I hung in the background, all of us watching one of the lasts scenes being filmed. Though this time, the characters were using Sam's cellphone technique to locate the ghosts in the movie.

"He finds out there's an afterlife, and this is what he decides to do with it." I mumbled, shaking my head.

"Hey, wanna get out of here?" Dean asked, bumping my shoulder with his, a smirk on his face.

"Have since day one." I grinned, knowing what he meant. "Where is this gonna happen exactly?"

"I know a place. Follow me." Dean said, leading me off the set, walking over to one of the empty trailers. He opened the door, gesturing for me to step in first.

"Dean Winchester." I gasped, faking shock. "Are you suggesting we fool around in somebody's trailer?"

"Kind of." He smirked. "What do you say?"

I glanced over my shoulder, pretending to think about it before looking back to him with a smile. "I say, hell yeah."

* * *

After what felt like an eternity later, I couldn't seem to wipe that same stupid grin off my face that I always got when Dean and I made love. It was a kind of peaceful bliss that I wished never went away.

With a sigh, I pulled my shirt on, throwing my hair up in a ponytail. Dean watched me as I walked over to him, reaching up to place a kiss on his lips.

"You are one hell of a P.A." I smiled, kissing him again as he chuckled. "I love you."

"I know." Dean smiled, placing a quick kiss on my lips. The two of us parted, making our way over to the door, opening it just as Sam passed by, a surprised look on his face when he saw us.

"I've been looking everywhere for yo-" He stopped, a slightly disgusted look covering his face as he took in our disheveled appearances. "Guys, really?"

"Pretty much." I shrugged, hopping down off the steps.

"Is there anywhere you guys won't...do _that_?"

"Maybe a church. Or a cemetery."

"No, that's already happened." Dean said, a grin on his lips.

"Oh, yeah." I nodded.

"Wait, a cemetery?" Sam asked, slightly appalled. "You guys are sick."

"We were in the car."

Another disgusted look crossed Sam's face as he turned back to us. "Front or back?"

"Now, Sam, I really don't think that's any of your business." I joked, shoving him slightly.

"Gross, that's not what I meant. I'm in that car everyday. I deserve to know."

"Sammy, if that's what your worried about, just know, there's not a place in there you'd be safe." Dean smirked, pulling me to his side.

"I shouldn't have asked."

"Probably not." I smiled, glancing up at Dean. "Hey, who's trailer was that?"

"Shawn's." Dean said, shooting me a sly grin, pulling me closer to his side as we made our way through the studio grounds back to the Impala. "God, I love this town."

* * *

 **Not one of my favorite chapters, but oh well, can't win 'em all.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed more than I did! ;D**

 **Lets be friends!**

 **Twitter: phoenixfire779  
Instagram: phoenixfirefanfiction  
**


	20. Folsom Prison Blues

_I hear the train coming  
It's rolling 'round the bend  
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when  
I'm stuck in Folsom prison  
And time keeps dragging on  
But that train keeps rolling  
On down to San Anton _

_When I was just a baby  
My mama told me, son  
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns  
But I shot a man in Reno  
Just to watch him die  
When I hear that whistle blowing  
I hang my head and cry  
_… _.._

 _Well, I know I had it coming  
I know I can't be free  
But those people keep moving  
And that's what tortures me  
_

 _But if they freed me from the prison  
If that railroad train was mine  
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line  
Far from Folsom prison  
That's where I want to stay  
And I'd let that lonesome whistle  
Blow my blues away _

_**Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues**_

* * *

It wasn't so much the fact that we had to wander down to Arkansas on the request of an old family friend. It was the request that _old family friend_ was making that angered me. It was too dangerous, and while I completely understood it was for the _greater good_ , as Dean had put it when he tried to sell the plan to me, I hated it.

"I really wish you wouldn't go through with this." I muttered as Dean slipped on his jacket, about to leave with Sam to do the dumbest thing ever. "I don't think I can do this."

"You'll be fine." Dean said, pulling me closer to him by my waist. "You've done it before."

"It was different then, Dean."

"Sam told you everything he knows, you've gone over it a million times-"

"That doesn't mean I'm a freaking lawyer!" I exclaimed, getting frustrated. "I just- I don't want you to do this."

"We have to, people are dying."

"I know. But that's not the whole reason, Dean. It's too much for him to ask you-"

"Listen, we have to." Dean said simply, like all this was no big deal. "Between you and him, Sam and I will be out in no time. We'll be fine."

"What if that doesn't work? You're already wanted. What if you don't get out?'

"We'll get out."

"Dean-"

"Don't worry." Dean repeated, giving me a reassuring smile. Sam stood behind him at the door, a sour look on his face. He didn't like this plan anymore than I did, but he decided to go along with it so Dean wouldn't be alone.

"I love you."

"I know." Dean muttered, placing a kiss on my lips before heading out the door. I made my way over to Sam, giving him a hug.

"Love you."

"Love you, too." Sam smiled, hugging me a little tighter before leaving.

I stared at the taillights of the car Dean had hijacked before until they weren't visible anymore and shut the door, locking it. I turned around, feeling the emptiness of the room surround me.

This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

About an hour later, I'd set the police scanner up on the table, listening in for anything. So far, there was absolutely nothing other than a few domestic disputes, not even to Sam and Dean.

I let out a huff, taking a swig of beer before resting my head down on the table, shutting my eyes when suddenly static came over the scanner and a woman started reporting a break in. I perked up, listening intently.

" _Location, Arkansas Museum of Anthropology. Two male suspects taken in custody."_

"Shit." I hissed, hitting the table with my fist. I shut the police scanner off, practically pushing it to the ground as I stood, pacing around the room. I really hoped this wouldn't work.

Dean had a lot of faith in me, Sam, too. But things were different now. We were in much deeper shit than ever and I needed help. So I picked up the phone, calling the only person I knew I could count on in this situation.

He answered on the first ring, his voice gruff. " _What?_ "

"Bobby? I need your help."

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**

Last night, Bobby got me in contact with the Public Defender's office of this district, finding out that the boys were in fact booked and spent the night in a holding cell. And after a little finagling, as far as anyone here was concerned, I was now Mara Daniels – public defender assigned to Sam and Dean's case.

I stood in front of the floor length mirror, fixing my suit jacket, making sure the bun at the back of my head was smooth before taking a deep breath.

 _I can do this_. I kept repeating to myself, over and over again. I felt as though I was barely making it through, but I knew I had to pull myself together or else Dean and Sam would never get out.

* * *

 **LITTLE ROCK POLICE STATION – DAY**

After making it past the cops at the front desk without any suspicion, I was escorted by one of them to one of the interrogation rooms. I pulled in a deep breath, putting my game-face on as I opened the door, coming face to face with two other men.

"Dean Winchester?" I asked, looking over at him handcuffed to the table.

"In the flesh."

"And you are?" Henriksen asked.

"Mara Daniels, Public Defender's office." I said, bypassing him to go shake Dean's hand. "I've been assigned you and your brother's case."

"Huh." Dean said, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Would you look at that."

"You are?" I asked, turning back to the man.

"Agent Henriksen." He said, clearly annoyed. I zoned out for a moment, that name sparking a memory. Was he the same agent Henriksen from Milwaukee? Couldn't be. At least, I hoped not. "And we're not quite done here."

"Actually, yes, you are. If you don't mind, I would like to meet with my clients." I said, not backing down as he glared at me. "Privately."

Dean rose an eyebrow, smiling at Henriksen as he and his partner left reluctantly, their anger apparent.

* * *

After a cop brought Sam into the room, I'd sat down in front of both boys at the table, placing my briefcase on it, opening it up.

"Your arraignment on the breaking and entering charge won't be until Tuesday." I told them, reading from a piece of paper.

"And they'll keep us in the county jail?" Dean asked.

"That's right." I mumbled, showing Dean I was still unhappy about this. "Green River County Detention Center. And considering the charges you're facing, no judge is going to grant you bail."

"Yeah, we figured that."

"Extradition papers have already been filed from five separate states, Missouri and Wisconsin being the biggest concern – the bank robbery and the murder raps." I told them.

"How long can we stall extradition?" Sam asked, finally speaking.

"A week." I said, my voice breaking slightly as I watched the both of them. "Maybe less."

* * *

 **GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER – DAY**  
DPOV

The bus doors opened and the guards ordered all of us to stand, hauling each man out one by one until he got to Sam and I.

"Come on, keep moving." The guard muttered, pushing us forwards.

We moved in a line, walking past the front of the bus along the gated rec yard. A few prisoners lined up against the fence, whistling and catcalling at us.

"You're mine, baby!" One of them yelled, pointing to Sam as he licked his lips. I glanced back, seeing Sam swallow hard as he tried to keep his eyes trained on the ground.

"Don't worry, Sam. I promise I won't trade you for smokes." I joked.

Once we were inside, they threw blankets in our arms, leading us down a hallway of empty cells. The guard in front stopped, unlocking one of them, pushing the man in front of me inside before turning to me, pushing me in with him.

"I call top bunk!" I said. The man scoffed, placing his things on the top bunk. "Okay."

I turned around, seeing Sam walk into the cell across the hallway, a large man behind him. Sam nodded up at him, his eyes widening as the man stared at him, barely even blinking. Sam's eyes met mine and he immediately glared as the guard shut the cell door.

Well, maybe I didn't take this seriously enough.

* * *

 **CELL BLOCK HALLWAY – DAY**

The loud sound of a metal-dector rod beeped a ways down the hallway as a guard scanned the inmates that were lined up at the wall, while another frisked them. Sam and I stood a ways down the line, nearly towards the very end on opposite sides of the hallway.

"My roommate doesn't say much – how's yours?" I asked in a low voice, leaning back slightly.

"Just keeps staring at me... in a way that makes me...really uneasy." Sam muttered.

"It sounds like you're making new friends."

"Dean. This is, without a doubt, the dumbest, craziest thing we've ever done. And that's in a long, storied career of dumb and crazy."

"Calm down. It's all part of the plan."

"Oh, really? So Henriksen showing up was part of the plan?"

"Yeah, that guy moves a little faster than I thought, but Tori can handle him. Look, all we gotta do is find this ghost, put the sucker down... then grab ourselves a couple of teardrop tattoos."

"That's not funny. Dean. What about this escape plan? It-"

"It's a hundred percent sure. I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't. I mean, come on, man, this place has all the signs of a haunting. Innocent people are dead. Four so far."

Sam laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, innocent."

"You from Texas all of a sudden? Just because these people are in jail, doesn't mean they deserve to die. If we don't stop this thing, people are going to continue to die. We do this job wherever it takes us."

"You're doing this for Deacon."

"Damn right."

"Well, you barely even know the guy."

"We know he was in the Corps with Dad. We know he saved Dad's life. We know we owe him." I said simply.

"But don't you think he's asking a little much?"

"Now you sound like Tori."

"Well, Tori's right." Sam said.

"Listen, we may not be saints, but we're loyal and we pay our debts. Now, that means something to me, and it ought to you. I'm not thrilled about this either, man, but Deacon asked us to hunt this thing down, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

After we'd been patted down, we were let into the cafeteria, pushed back into another line to get trays of food. Sam and I made our way to the same table, sitting across from each other.

"You know, this chicken isn't half bad." I muttered, shoving more of it in my mouth.

"Great. Finish mine. Sam grimaced at the food, sliding his plate towards me. "Alright, so let's go back over this, Dean. Spirit suspect number one is Mark Moody, right?

"Yeah, psycho killer extraordinaire – Satanism, ritual murderer, died in jail."

"You sure it's him?"

"Pretty sure." I shrugged.

"Dean, considering our circumstances, I'm gonna need a little bit better than _pretty sure_."

"Okay. _Really_ pretty sure."

"I miss Tori already." Sam sighed, shaking his head at me as I ate more food.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, for one thing, she doesn't shovel food in her mouth like a dumpster while you're trying to talk to her."

"Mm-hm."

"Dean, would you please?"

"Listen, Moody died of a heart attack, which is what all the victims in here are dying of. He died in the old cell block, which they closed after he croaked, thirty years ago. They just opened that back up. That's when the killings started."

"So you think his spirit was released somehow?"

"Mm-hmm."

"But what if he was already cremated?"

"I'm guessing there's something in the old block that's keeping him around. And whatever it is, we got to find it. And, uh, you know the rest." I muttered, feeling the food I'd eaten settling wrong in my stomach. "I'm done."

I pushed away from the table, walking away as Sam followed me. "Sorry. I-"

Turning around, I saw Sam standing in front of a heavily tattoo man, who glared down at him. "Watch where you're going."

"Yeah. Sure. I just-"

"He said he was sorry." I said, walking up to the man.

"Dean..."

"You talking to me? Are you talking to me?" The man asked.

"Great, another guy who's seen _Taxi Driver_ too many times." I muttered, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, I'm talking to you. Trust me. Let it go."

The man stared down at me for another moment before walking away. I turned back to Sam, a grin on my face. "See, that's how you got to talk to these guys. Instant respect."

"You were saying?" Sam asked, nodding behind me. I turned around, seeing the tattooed man walk over to a huge guy, saying something to him. The large man stood, making his way over to me.

"Oh, great."

"Tori's not gonna be too happy when she see's you with a busted face." Sam muttered, stepping back as the tattooed guy threw a punch at me. I quickly caught his fist, twisting it behind his back.

"We can end this right now – no harm, no foul."

He broke free of my hold, and I grabbed him again, slamming him against the wall as he stepped on my foot. I used the leveraged, kicking him in the groin, then the stomach, sending him flying to the ground on his back.

"That's enough!" The warden shouted, rushing over to us. "On your feet, Lucas."

"Yes, sir, boss." Lucas muttered, standing up.

The warden pulled out his baton, holding it underneath my chin. "What's your name?"

"Winchester."

"Well, Winchester...not a good start." He paused. "Solitary. You too, Lucas."

The guard cuffed Lucas first, then me, grabbing both of us by our sleeves, pushing us in front of him. I glanced back at Sam over my shoulder, smiling.

"Are we having fun yet, huh?"

* * *

 **SOLITARY CELL – DAY**

The cell they'd put me in was small with no window and only a small slit on the door. I leaned against it, letting out a sigh. I wished I could call Tori, see how she was doing. But I didn't want to risk her getting caught.

"I wish I had a baseball." I sighed.

"What? What'd you say?" Lucas asked from his cell across the hall.

"I said, I wish I had a baseball." I repeated, looking through the window-slit in the door. "You know, like _Steve McQueen_."

"Yeah? Well, I wish I had a bat so I could bash your fucking head in." Lucas spat.

"Okay." I mumbled, resuming my position leaning against the wall. "Well, so much for the _bonding in solitary_ moment." Just then the lights stared flickering and a cold chill moved through the air. "Oh, crap."

I peered through the slit again, spotting a clock in the hallway that read eight-thirty. I watched it for a couple seconds, realizing that it wasn't moving.

"Lucas, listen to me. Stay very still." I said, trying to look through both door slits into Lucas's cell. Suddenly, Lucas let out a loud scream, audibly struggling inside his cell.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY**  
TPOV

No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to take my mind off the boys for more than two seconds at a time. I wondered what they were doing, if they were okay. Hopefully Dean didn't get himself beaten up just yet.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing broke my train of through, echoing throughout the motel room. I let out a sigh, reaching over for it.

"Hello?"

" _How'd it go?_ " Bobby asked.

"How do you think?" I asked, leaning back on the bed. "I haven't wanted a cigarette so badly in years."

" _Don't start back up on that now_."

"I know, I know. I just can't believe this." I complained to Bobby while he patient sat on the other end of the phone, letting me vent. "I understand being loyal, but this is too much for Deacon to ask of them. They're just so damn stupid, I swear."

" _Couldn't agree more._ "

"And then stupid Victor Henriksen shows up and makes everything harder."

" _Who?_ "

"The guy from Milwaukee who almost busted Dean's ass at that bank." I told him, running a hand through my hair. "He doesn't seem like the type of person that's okay with not getting what he wants. He's out for blood now. I'm really scared, Bobby."

" _No you're not._ "

"Yes, I am. Sam and Dean could be extradited in a week an-"

" _And what?_ " He asked, his voice hard. " _Buck up and fight through this like you would everything else. Get in there, fine something – anything – and fight this. Stall it as long as you can. I know you can do it. You know you can do it. So do it, dammit._ "

* * *

 **LITTLE ROCK POLICE STATION – DAY**

After Bobby's little pep talk last night, I decided to take today on with a whole new attitude. Faking my way through a situation, saving the boys butts, this is the kind of stuff I was used to and no one was going to get in the way of that.

I knocked on Henriksen's shut office door, opening it before he'd told me to. He stared up at me from a file in his hand, an eyebrow raised. Reidy, his partner stood off to the side of the room, his arms folded.

"Henriksen."

"Hey, Daniels. I don't remember saying come in."

"I know." I nodded. "Can I have a word?"

"Have a seat." He muttered begrudgingly. "What's on your mind?"

"I've been going through the Winchester charges." I said, sitting in front of him. "And I gotta say, there are some weird inconsistencies."

"Welcome to my world."

"I talked to a cop in Baltimore who swears up and down these boys saved her life and helped her catch a killer." I said. "And there's a witness to your bank robbery in Milwaukee. She swears Sam and Dean saved her life, too."

"Saved her from what?"

"She was a little...unclear on that." I mumbled.

"That's because she's nuts." He scoffed. "Look, I was in Milwaukee. I spoke to her, I spoke to all the witnesses."

"And?"

"And, all I know is, wherever these guys go, people die. It's that simple."

"I don't know that it is. They just don't seem cut-and-dry guilty to me. I think there's more to this."

"More like what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. " _More_ like the woman every witness I spoke to said was with them?"

"What?" I asked, feeling fear set in when Bobby's words played through my head.

No, there's not time to show fear right now.

"Yup. Always seems to be a girl tagging along. Not this time, though – but we're looking for her. Haven't found her yet." Henriksen shrugged, looking me right in the eyes, almost like he knew something was up. "But I will."

I blinked a few times, keeping my eyes locked on his. "Well, good luck with that."

"Yeah." He nodded, his tone turning patronizing. "Okay. Grownups are trying to get some work done here, so, if you don't mind..."

"That's fine." I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "I have more important places to be, anyway."

Henriksen stared up at me as I pushed the chair back, heading out of the room. As I walked back down the hallway, I tried to keep it together as anxiety filled my chest.

How long would it really take him to figure out that I was part of this?

* * *

 **GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER – DAY**

The sun shined down over the prison yard, only a few tress planted around to shade certain spots. Currently, I was winning big time and loving every second of it.

"Call."

"Three aces." The guy across from me muttered.

"That's a bad beat. That is a bad beat..." I said, watching the man pick up a few cigarettes that laid on the table between us. "But, see, I'm full...three's over aces."

An angry look cross the man's face as he dropped the cigarettes, slamming his fist down on the table before stomping off.

"Sorry. Hey, it's a cruel game, my friend!" I called as he walked away. Sam sat down in front of me, watching as I moved the pile of cigarettes I'd over in front of me. "It's like picking low hanging fruit."

"You don't even smoke."

"Are you kidding me? This is the currency of the realm."

Sam narrowed his eyes at me. "Look. I got a good lead on Moody."

"Me too. His spirit paid a little visit last night."

"What?"

"The clock stopped, the flickering lights, cold spot...I mean, he did everything but yell _boo_."

"Well, what happened?" Sam asked.

"He walked right by me. Lucas wasn't so lucky. I mean, the way he was screaming...the guy was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to go like that." I mumbled, thinking back to his screams. "What'd you find out on Moody?"

"Yeah, so, I think I know where we might find his remains. Blood in his old cell."

"Blood? I thought it was a heart attack."

"It was, after the guards worked him over. I mean, apparently there was so much blood in there, they had trouble mopping it out."

"How we gonna get in?"

"I got a plan."

"That's the Sammy I know." I smiled. "Come on, man, you're like _Clint Eastwood_ from _Escape From Alcatraz_."

"The problem is, if even if we do find something, how are we gonna burn it? We don't have any accelerant."

"It's a good thing I'm like _James Garner_ from _The Great Escape_." I said, picking up two handfuls of cigarettes, turning to the inmates. "Hey, fellas! Who's ready to deal?"

* * *

 **PRISON CAFETERIA – DAY**

"You sure about this?" I asked Sam as we stood in line, glancing up at him.

"Pretty sure."

"Yeah, well, considering our circumstances, I'd like a little better than _pretty sure_." I mimicked.

"Okay, _really_ pretty sure." Sam retorted.

"Well, Tori's gonna be pissed if you get my face busted."

"Whatever they do will be an improvement."

"Shut up. I'd like mine _al dente_." I said to the server, a grin on my face. He stared up at me with raised eyebrows, plonking a spoonful of spaghetti and sauce on the tray. "Perfect."

We headed out to the tables, passing the same large man from yesterday, who was taking a bite of food as we walked.

"Save room for dessert, Tiny." I commented, sitting across from him. He looked up at me, a glare in his eyes. "Hey, I wanted to ask you, 'cause I couldn't help but notice that you are two tons of fun. Just curious, is it like a thyroid problem, or is it some deep seated self-esteem issue?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sam still on his feet, moving slowly over to a set of guards.

"'Cause, you know, they're just doughnuts. They're not love." I finished.

Tiny smiled, suddenly shoving his tray towards me before punching me in the face. I felt myself go flying back to the ground, staying there a moment before getting back up to my feet, punching Tiny three times, though they seemed to do nothing. He grabbed me by the front of my jumpsuit, but I quickly headbutted him, making him release me.

I stumbled backwards, a hand on my now aching head, watching as a guard put his baton around Tiny's neck from behind. Without hesitation, he grabbed the guard, throwing him down on one of the tables.

"Guys, give me a hand." The warden called, rushing over as Tiny caught me off guard, punching me again, grabbing me from behind with his arm around my throat. I felt the air cut of from my lungs as they struggled to get him off of me.

After a few moments they succeeded, pulling him away as I fell to the floor, coughing. The warden pulled me up by the back of my jumpsuit.

"If we'd waited any longer, you'd be dead."

"You waited long enough." I complained.

"Do yourself a favor. Don't. Talk." He said, grabbing the back of my neck, holding me down, nodding up to the guards. "Take them both up to the infirmary."

* * *

 **INFIRMARY CELL – DAY**

Sitting on the small bed in the cell, I wondered how Sam was making out and if he'd been able to torch the blood or not when Tiny cleared his throat in the cell across from mine.

"Hey, Tiny."

"Yeah?"

"Hey, sorry about the things I was saying earlier." I apologized, honestly feeling bad. Tori's had too much damn influence on me. "I can't really tell you why, but I had to get you angry. So, uh...anyway, sorry."

"It's okay. Truth is, I have low self-esteem issues. My old man treated me and my brother like crap, right up till the day he died."

"How'd he die?"

"My brother shot him."

"Alright." I muttered, the figure of a woman standing on the other side of a fenced-off area catching my eye. I looked up at the clock frozen at eight-forty-five, feeling a chill around me. "Oh, crap."

"What is it?" Tiny asked. "What's going on?"

I got off the bed, looking for something I could use against the ghost when she undoubtedly came over here. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her walk through the fence, moving slowly. I spotted a salt shaker on the tray at the end of the bed, quickly grabbing it.

The ghost walked closer to my cell, throwing me back against the wall. She stood over me, plunging her hand into my chest. I groaned out in pain, flinging the sat at her. She disappeared from sight, leaving me lying on the floor, clutching my chest.

"Oh! No!" Tiny screamed.

"Tiny!" I called, standing to my feet. I kicked the cell door in anger, hearing him die, knowing there was nothing I could do about it.

* * *

 **PRISON YARD – DAY**

After sometime spent in the infirmary, a guard finally came to let me out into the yard for a while with some other inmates, including Sam. We made our way across the yard, trying to keep out of earshot.

"Wait. So you're telling me it wasn't Moody?" Sam asked.

"Not unless he liked going around dressed like a nurse. Poor Tiny, man. Poor giant Tiny." I muttered.

"So this is- this is, like the ghost of some nurse who worked here or something?"

"I don't know, man. I guess."

"You know what, Dean, at this point, _I don't know_ isn't gonna work. We're running out of time."

"Well, we've got to do some quick research."

"How? I mean, maybe you haven't noticed...we're in jail."

"Well, we'll start off by talking to your bathroom buddy. What was his name again?"

"Randall?"

"Yeah. See him around?"

"He's over there." Sam said, pointing to an older man with long hair.

"Alright, then. Let's go."

Sam and I made our way over to Randall, who was sitting at one of the benches.

"Hey." Sam called.

"What?" Randall asked, looking up at us.

"We have a few questions to ask you." I said. "About a nurse that worked in the infirmary."

"Why you want to know?"

"Well, we got our reasons. But, uh...we'll make it worth your while." I said, holding out a pack of cigarettes. Randall took it, shoving the pack in his jumpsuit. "So, this nurse, she would have had white hair, one screwed up eye – is that ringing a bell?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I remember her."

"You remember her name?"

"No, that's still kind of fuzzy." Randall muttered, shooting me a look.

Sam watched on, slightly amused, glancing over at me. "Give it to him."

"I earned these." I said, holding onto the other pack.

"Dean."

"Fine." I huffed, handing Randall the other pack.

"Glockner. Nurse Glockner. Nasty old bitch worked here in the seventies."

"You knew her?" Sam asked.

"I met her once. Had to get a tetanus shot. She damn near jabbed the needle through the other side of my arm." Randall said. "At least I got out of there alive."

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard these stories. I don't know if they were true. Cons love to talk, but we're all liars."

"What kind of stories?" I asked.

"Guys would go up to the infirmary with a cold. Next thing you know, they're in a body bag. A whole rash of heart attacks – young guys, old guys."

"Heart attacks?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Story was Glockner had it out for cons and she did this, uh, _Charles Bronson_ thing with a hypodermic. Anyway, that was the rumor. Nobody ever proved anything."

I nodded. "Whatever happened to Glockner?"

"I don't know. I finished my bit and left. Next time I landed back in here, she was gone."

* * *

"Okay, so let's say those stories on Glockner were true." Sam muttered, leaning in close so no one could hear.

"It's a thought. You know, in life, she's a vigilante. In death, same thing."

"Right. But then how's she tied in with the old cellblock? And if she's going after cons, why kill that one guard?"

"I did hear in the yard that that guard wasn't exactly squeaky clean, so, maybe she's going after anybody that breaks a law." I said. "Like me."

"You _heard in the yard_?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah." I shrugged, not seeing the problem.

"Dean, does it bother you at all, how easily you seem to fit in here?"

"No, not really."

"So you'd be okay with getting locked up?"

"I don't know."

"You'd never see Tori again." Sam said, raising an eyebrow as I froze. "Like, ever."

"Well, we'd have conjugal visits." I joked, trying to hide my reaction.

"Dean, you know you don't have to hide your feelings for her around me, right?"

"Sam, you keep talking like that in here, somebody's gonna turn you into his bitch real quick."

Sam rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Well, listen, either way, we need more info on Glockner. If she's buried, if so, where? How are we gonna find that out from in here?"

"Easy." I said, standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a date with our lawyer." I said, hearing Sam let out a sigh as I left.

* * *

 **GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER – DAY  
** TPOV

A guard led me over to one of the stalls, and I sat down, staring at the glass partition as I waited for Dean. A few moments passed when I saw his torso make it's way over, my eyes going wide as he sat down.

The bruise underneath his left eye trailed over his cheek, the deep purple and yellow color looking sickening against his skin.

Staring at his bruised face, the only thought running through my head was screw the debt Dean felt he had to pay off towards Deacon – I was getting him out of here tonight.

I picked up the phone, clutching onto it tightly. "What happened?"

"Eh, nothing." Dean mumbled, shaking his head. "I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I need you to find out everything you can about a nurse that used to work here in the seventies, most importantly how she died and where she's buried. Her name was Glockner."

"Are you nuts?" I asked, for the benefit of the guards standing around. "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you're in here?"

"I have a vague notion."

"Good."

"Will you do this?" Dean asked. "Believe me when I say that this is the best way that you can help."

"I'm sure I can think of some other ways." I mumbled. Like getting you the hell out of here.

"All I'm asking is one little favor."

"I'll have to see what I can do, but I can't make promises, Mr. Winchester."

"Thanks.

"Sure.

"Well, times up." Dean said, a sad look in his eyes as he let them linger on me for a second before hanging up the phone.

* * *

After seeing the state Dean was in, I was officially done. I was finished with sitting back doing nothing. This ends now.

One of the guards led me to a large metal detector, taking my briefcase to sift through as I walked through.

"You're good." He said, handing me the briefcase back before leading me to the warden's office.

"Thank you." I smiled, knocking on the door. A few moments later, Deacon answered, welcoming me in, shutting the door behind him.

"It's good to see you-"

"Are you sure it's safe to talk in here?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

"How can I trust you?"

"Everything we're doing here is putting my ass on the line, too."

"I just got finished speaking to Dean." I said. "He looks horrible. How could you let that happen to him?"

"Well..."

" _Well?_ " I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be protecting them in here."

"He and Sam had a plan. Listen, I can't blow my cover either. Which means I can't stop him if he decides to pick a fight."

"I thought you and the guards were supposed to stop fights as soon as they start, not let them carry on until someone gets their face broken!"

"They had to be distracted." Deacon muttered, sitting down on the corner of his desk. "I'm sure Dean's had worse."

"That doesn't make it okay." I said, getting angry at his nonchalant attitude. "I want them out tonight."

"I don't know if they're ready yet-"

"That doesn't matter. They will be."

"Tori, people are dying."

"I hate it just as much as you do, maybe even more. But I will not sit back and let one of those people end up being Sam or Dean, all because of _favor_ you asked!"

"Tori-"

"Dean thinks he owes you for what you did for John, and I agree with him, I do. He owes you a favor, but not his life, do you understand me?" I asked, my voice growing softer. "They're the only family I've got."

"I understand." Deacon nodded.

"Give this to them when you let them go _tonight_." I repeated, pushing an envelope across the desk to him. "They need it to get rid of the spirit."

* * *

 **PRISON YARD – DAY  
** DPOV

I hated seeing that look in Tori's eyes when she saw me. I knew how much it bothered her, but I also knew that it would be well worth it in the end once we get this all settled.

Sam spotted me from across the yard, waving me over. "Hey."

"Hey."

"So, uh, we don't have much time left here."

"Why?" I asked.

"Deacon told me Tori paid him a visit. She was pissed. We're leaving tonight."

"Dammit." I hissed, shaking my head. I had to have known Tori would do that.

"Did she say she'd find out about the nurse?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "But if she can't find anything just yet, we could give it another day."

"No, no. We're leaving tonight, and that's it." Sam said.

"What if we don't finish the job? We're just gonna let these people die?"

"Don't give me that, alright? This was your stupid idea. I went along with it, but we're sticking to the plan, Dean."

"Okay. Uh, you leave. I'm gonna stay."

"Yeah, right. Like Tori wouldn't kill me for letting you do that." Sam scoffed. "I wouldn't put it past her to come marching right in here to break you out herself if that happened."

"She probably would." I laughed.

"You know Tori's gonna find what we need in time. We'll be able to pull this off. We just have to get out of here, Dean. Just go along with it." Sam finished, subtly telling me his plan.

Part of me thought we were rushing out of this too quickly, but I knew Sam was right. Tori would take care of everything.

I shook my head, walking away. "You know, what? I don't care."

"Hey, don't turn away from me!"

"Screw you."

"What?! Screw you!" Sam exclaimed, grabbing my shoulder, roughly spinning me around. I pushed him back and before I knew it, Deacon grabbed me as another guard rushed in to grab Sam, separating us.

"Alright, hard case. I see the usual methods ain't gonna work with you." Deacon said to me, nodding up to Sam. "You too, sweetheart."

Both the guard and Deacon pushed us back inside the building, leading us down another hallway before shoving us into a large room.

"Take off. I want to handle this alone." Deacon told the guard.

Without question, the guard nodded, leaving the room. Deacon walked over to me, staring menacingly at me for a moment before placing a hand on the side of my neck.

"Deacon, you are beating the holy hell out of me, man." I laughed.

"Sorry, Dean. I thought I was going easy on you. Just trying to make it look real." Deacon smiled, turning me around to unlock the handcuffs. "Though I think I'll have to pay for it later."

"Oh, yeah? Why?"

"Your little lady might come find me. She is quite the firecracker."

"She is." I said, smiling as I thought of Tori. God, did I miss her.

"I gotta admit, I was a little scared of her." Deacon laughed, unlocking Sam's cuffs.

"You aren't the first one to say that." I chuckled.

"So, is it over?"

"Not yet." Sam said. "We think it's some nurse who used to work here, but we're still shy on all the intel we need."

"Oh, that reminds me." Deacon said, pulling an envelope out of his pocket. "Tori told me to give this to you two."

"Would you look at that. That's my girl." I smiled, opening the envelope. "Wow."

"You want to share with the class, Dean?" Sam asked, shooting me a look.

"Glockner died in the old cellblock after Moody bit it. Seems they had a little inmate uprising. She got caught in the middle. They dragged her to a solitary cell and gave her a severe cerebral edema."

"Someone bashed her head in."

"Yeah."

"Does it say where she's buried?"

"Yup."

"Alright then, let's get you the hell out of here." Deacon said.

"Don't worry, Deacon. We'll get rid of this thing."

"Good, 'cause I want it out of my prison." Deacon said, removing a vent over on the wall before making his way back over to us. "Boys, uh... I can't thank you enough for this. I know it was asking a lot but you still came through. Your Daddy raised you right."

"Well, we owed you." Sam murmured.

"But not your lives." Deacon said. "And you put them on the line."

"No big deal." I shrugged.

"Tell Tori I said thank you."

"Sure."

"Alright." Deacon smiled, pulling Sam in for a hug, then me. "Hope to see you again, huh? Just not in here, okay?"

"Yeah, we'll do our best." Sam said, heading over to the vent.

I nearly followed him, stopping and turning back to Deacon. "Oh...where do you want it?"

"What?" Deacon asked, realization coming over him when he saw the look on my face. He nodded, pointing to his cheek. "Yeah um...make it look real, son."

I neared back and punching him right in the cheek, sending him flying to the ground. Shooting him an apologetic smile, I made my way out through the vent after Sam.

* * *

The night skies camouflaged us a bit better as we ran for the railings outside the prison over to the Impala. I smiled as I saw her, running a hand along the side of the doors.

"Oh, man, are you a sight for sore eyes." I told her, pulling off my prison garb, sitting in the driver seat. "You know, I almost wish I could see Henriksen's face."

"Really? 'Cause I'd be happy if I never saw him again." Sam muttered. "I mean, we're not really out of the woods yet, Dean, you know?"

"Yeah. Good point." I nodded, hearing the alarm sound loudly through the prison yard as a red light started flashing. I quickly started the Impala, pulling out of the lot and onto the road. The only thing that would make this better right now was seeing Tori.

* * *

 **LITTLE ROCK POLICE STATION – NIGHT  
** TPOV

It was late at night when I'd gotten a call from the Agent Henriksen, telling me it was urgent and that I needed to get down there fast. When I'd made it to his office, he all but pulled me inside, slamming the door shut as he started questioning me.

"It's an easy question. What did you and Dean talk about?" Henriksen asked, pacing back and forth on the other side of the desk.

"I already told you. It was a private conversation between me and my client."

"Right, and just three hours later he just happened to bust out." Henriksen scoffed, leaning down on the desk in front of me. "Now, tell me, what he said."

* * *

 **CEMETERY – NIGHT  
** DPOV

Sam and I were on our way to Glockners grave site, carrying shovels and a bag along the way.

"What if Henriksen gets to Tori?"

"I thought she couldn't say anything – you know, that whole lawyer-client privilege thing."

"The privilege doesn't apply, Dean."

"So, she'll talk?"

"I don't know."

"Well, hopefully he won't ask for her."

"Do you really think he'll just let a lose end like her go?" Sam asked, looking over at me with worried eyes. I didn't need to reply, the both of us already knowing the obvious answer.

* * *

 **LITTLE ROCK POLICE STATION – NIGHT  
** TPOV

"Let me make this simple. You don't come clean, I will put you on the hook for aiding and abetting." Henriksen said.

"Oh that- that's ridiculous." I muttered, getting flustered.

"You don't think that I can? You think this is some kind of game, lady? I am the last person on planet earth you want to screw with. Now, tell me what he said." He repeated, his tone threatening.

"He wanted me to do some research." I sighed, looking up at him. "On a prison nurse that died in nineteen-seventy-six."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"What else?" Henriksen pushed.

"They wanted to know where she was buried."

"Did you find out where?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell them?"

"Yes." I repeated.

"Tell me."

"Mountain side cemetery." I rattled off, allowing a guilty look to gross my face.

"Alright, let's go!" Henriksen yelled, rushing out of the office with his partner.

I watched them go for a moment before getting up, slipping out of the building without anyone noticing me. I quickly rushed around to the back, jumping into the car I'd been using that was already packed up with everything from the motel, and quickly made my way to the cemetery.

Cop cars passed me as I drove and I tried my hardest to keep calm, watching Henriksen's car take the lead They sped past, following the same direction I was until we came to a four-way road where they all turned left and I turned right.

* * *

 **CEMETERY – NIGHT  
** DPOV

I stood over the deep grave Sam and I had just dug, trying not to think about Tori being interrogated by that asshole Henriksen. It ate me up inside, but I tried to ignore it, concentrating on what we were doing here.

"Got her." Sam muttered, hitting the coffin with his shovel, opening it up to reveal a bunch of old bones and cobwebs. I poured kerosene all over them as Sam lit a match, throwing it in the coffin.

We watched as he bones burned, waiting for the flames to die down a bit before shutting the coffin, shoveling the dirt back into place. I heard the sound of a car pulling up to the cemetery, looking up to see a car I didn't recognize slowing to a stop.

* * *

TPOV 

I pulled up in front of the Green Valley cemetery, beeping the horn to signal Sam and Dean. A huge wave of relief fell over me as I watched them run out from the thin treeline in front of the cemetery. I got out out of the car, practically running over to them, pulling them both into my arms, ignoring the fact that they were covered in dirt.

"I missed you idiots so much." I said, holing them tightly.

"Love you, too, Tori." Sam muttered, a smile in his voice as he rubbed my back, pulling away slightly. I inspected his face for bruises, seeing there weren't any.

"It's good to see that one of you got out unscathed." I commented, cringing as I turned to Dean, caressing his bruised face in my palm. "Aw, baby."

"It looks worse than it feels."

"I can't believe you!" I exclaimed, smacking him on the shoulder. "It wasn't bad enough you got locked up, you had to pick fights, too!?"

"Hey, I did what I had to." He replied, grabbing my wrists, pulling me to him, placing a kiss on my lips. As much as I tried to be angry at him, I couldn't help but turn to putty in his arms. Dean pulled back when Sam cleared his throat, smiling down at me. "Jesus, I missed you."

"I missed you." I smiled. "We better get out before they realize I lied."

"So Henriksen did call you in?" Sam asked, the three of us heading over to the car to get my stuff out.

"Big time." I replied, throwing a bag over my shoulder, handing the other to Sam.

"What'd you do?"

"I told them you guys were at a different cemetery."

"You're a genius." Dean said, pulling me to his side as we went over to the Impala parked a few feet away, throwing everything in the trunk.

"I know." I grinned, holding my hand out. "Give me the keys."

"But it's been so long since I drove her-"

"Dean, you need rest."

"Fine." Dean huffed, dropping the car keys into my opened hand. I got into the driver seat as Dean slid into the passenger seat and Sam in the back.

A few moments of silence passed as I drove out of the cemetery, taking a deep breath. "Guys, we are really screwed this time."

"Yeah, I know." Dean nodded. "We got to go deep this time."

" _Deep,_ Dean?" Sam scoffed. "We should go to Yemen."

"Oh, I'm- I'm not sure I'm ready to go that deep." Dean muttered.

"Might have to be eventually. Henriksen won't let this go."

"We can deal with him." Dean said. I glanced back at Sam, sharing a look of disbelief at how Dean was acting when it came to all of this.

As much as Dean might like to think so, we weren't indestructible. And I had a horrible feeling that if Henriksen got his hooks in us again, we wouldn't be so lucky this time.

* * *

 **I gotta admit, I'm pretty proud of this chapter and I really like it, even though it's kinda short.**

 **Only three more chapters until we're done with _Into The Nothing_! Can you believe it? I can't. **

**As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I love hearing your feedback, so leave me some reviews or private messages!**

 **Twitter: phoenixfire779  
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	21. What Is and What Never Should Be

_So once again, come follow me  
To my grave, a distant family  
Shallow bruises and shatter words  
Is your saving grace, saving grace in vein  
I'm safe from the wreckage  
My memory bestowed  
This place just feels too far from home  
And I'm safe from the wreckage  
My mind was saved  
It's too hard to see below  
_  
…

 _Well, it's my mistakes that comfort me  
Mysteries lead the blind, guessing to explain  
Why I'm safe from the wreckage  
My memory's torn  
On what is worth fighting for  
And I'm saved from the wreckage  
I don't feel safe anymore  
Just floating above the earth, alone_

 _Whispers and ashes  
Behold  
Whispers and ashes  
_ _Cry over your pretty lies, make them see  
A certainty _

_Can you see through me as dust just settles on_  
 _Whispers and ashes_  
 _I reach for the ceiling, to_ _the sky above  
How am I still living?_

 _Saved from the wreckage  
I remember everything  
All the freedom to follow  
Stay faithful to me  
Keep your words calm  
I will never forget, I'll be just fine_

 _ **Dead Sara – Whispers and Ashes**_

* * *

The Impala sped down a back road in Illinois, only a few cars passing us as we drove down the dark road, each side lined with thick trees. Even though the licenses plates had been changed and we were a little ways away from Arkansas, I still jumped every time there was even the slightest whisper of a cop anywhere near us.

I knew I probably shouldn't be so jumpy, but I simply couldn't help it. If we ever got caught, I wouldn't even want to think about it.

Dean's phone rang next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts as he picked it up, putting it on speaker. "What's the matter?"

" _T_ _here's a cop car outside._ " Sam replied. My eyes widened as I stared up at Dean, clutching the seat.

"You think it's for us?" Dean asked.

" _I don't know._ "

"I don't see how. I mean we ditched the plates, the credit cards." Dean said, glancing over at me, seeing my finger nails dug into the seat. "Hey, be careful."

"Oh, sorry." I muttered, seeing the nail marks in the leather as I released my grip.

" _Wait, they're leaving. False alarm._ "

"Thank god." I sighed, throwing my head back.

"Well, see. Nothing to worry about."

" _Yeah, being fugitives? Fucking dance party._ " Sam mumbled statistically.

"Hey man, chicks dig the danger vibe." Dean smiled, glancing over to see me roll my eyes.

"Well, last time I checked, there aren't a lot of _chicks_ in the male wing of a prison. You know what that means." I said, raising an eyebrow. I still couldn't believe how nonchalant he was being about all of this. We were in serious crap, yet he didn't seem to care.

"Well-"

"Well?"

" _So you got anything yet?_ " Sam asked, stopping us before this carried on.

"Are you kidding me? How could we? You got us sifting through like fifty square miles of real estate here."

" _Well, that's where all the victims disappeared._ " Sam sighed.

"We don't seem to be having much luck." I said. "What about you?"

" _Just one thing. I'm pretty sure of it now. We're hunting a Djinn._ "

"A freaking genie?" Dean asked.

" _Yeah._ "

"What? You think these suckers can really grant wishes?" Dean asked, a strange look in his eyes as they shifted over to me, then back to the road.

" _I don't know. I guess they're powerful enough. But not exactly like Barbara Eden in harem pants. I mean, Djinn have been feeding off people for centuries. They're all over the Koran._ "

"My God. Barbara Eden was hot, wasn't she?" Dean asked, glancing over at me. "Way hotter than that Bewitched chick."

"Eh." I shrugged. "I guess."

" _Are you even listening to me?_ " Sam asked.

"Yeah. So uh, where do the Djinn's lair up?"

" _Ruins usually. Bigger the better – more places to hide._ "

"You know, I think I saw a place a couple miles back. We'll gonna go check it out."

" _Wait – no, no, no, no, no. Come pick me up first._ " Sam exclaimed.

"Nah, I'm sure it's nothing. I just wanna take a look around. Tori and I can handle it." Dean said, hanging up the phone.

"We can handle it, huh?"

"'Course we can."

"What if the Djinn's there?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Dean said, shooing me a smile.

"Well, actually I was more worried about me having to save you then you having to save me."

* * *

 **FACTORY – NIGHT**

Dean pulled the Impala up in front of a large and very rundown looking warehouse style factory. We got out of the car, making our way over to the unlocked front doors, entering cautiously, each of us having our flashlights pulled out as we walked through a few abandoned offices.

I had to admit, this was a bit eerie, but other than the sound of water dripping through a busted ceiling, there seemed to be nothing here.

"See? Let's head out." Dean muttered, walking out of one of the small offices we'd just been in to head back outside.

Suddenly, a figured attacked him, pushing him out of my sight. I quickly ran out of the room, looking both ways with my flashlight, seeing nothing. I heard a loud crash to my right, following the noise with my knife out, cautiously peeking around a corner.

I arrived just in time to see the Djinn holding Dean against a window, it's palm on his head as he eyes turned a bright, glowing shade of blue, and he fell to the ground with a thud. The Djinn quickly turned on it's heel, staring at me as I gripped the knife in my hand.

The Djinn ran towards me at a fast pace, but I quickly ducked out of it's way, nicking it's arm with the knife. It made an angry hissing noise, grabbing me by the throat and slamming me hard against the opposite wall, forcing me to drop the knife.

I clawed at it's hard as it squeezed my throat tighter, staring me straight in the eyes. I watched as it lifted it's palm as it turned a glowing blue, placing it on my forehead. I tried to fight against it, but before I knew it, my eyes rolled back into my head and all I saw was black.

In the distance, the sound of something hitting the floor with a loud bang, followed by Dean letting out a quite curse woke me. I was about to roll over and fall back asleep when everything that had happened rushed back into my mind.

The barn, the Djinn…

My eyes snapped opened and I quickly sat up, holding my head as it spun. It was then I realized I had no idea where I was. head, barely noticing where I was. A fearful feeling rushed over me as I took in my surroundings, realizing I was sitting on a tan couch, facing a wall with a TV mounted on it in an all too clean room.

Just then, Dean peaked his head into the room from an adjacent one, biting his lip. He let out a sigh when he saw me sitting up and made his way over to the couch, a small smile on his face as he sat next to me.

"Well, good morning sleeping beauty." Dean muttered. "I woke you up, didn't I?"

"W-what happened?" I asked, looking up at him in confusion. "Where are we?"

"I dropped a cup in the kitchen." Dean answered, furrowing his brow as he looked down at me. "We're at home, babe."

"No." I stopped him, shaking my head as I stared up into his confused eyes. "I mean, what happened with the Djinn?"

"What?"

I couldn't believe how he was acting like nothing had happened. We were attacked, I know it. I hadn't dreamt all of that...right? Even if I did, that wouldn't explain where we were.

"The Djinn, Dean. Last night." I repeated, looking over at the window to see the sun setting in the sky.

How long was I sleeping?

"We didn't drink any gin last night." Dean smiled, poking my shoulder. "Unless you had some without me."

"Not the drink, Dean! Th-" I stopped, my voice catching in my throat as Dean stared down at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Maybe you should lay down again. Just for a little while." Dean muttered, pushing lightly on my shoulders to ease me back onto the couch.

"No..." I shook my head. I was about to continue trying to get him to remember when spotted a picture on the end table behind him. I reached across him, picking up the frame, staring down at it in disbelief.

There in the photo Dean and I were standing next to each other, smiles on our faces. I wore a long white dress, and him a black tux. It took a moment for it to register as I suddenly felt a weight on my left hand. I looked down, seeing a wedding band there. I nearly jumped back like I was bitten by a snake, dropping the picture back down, my hands shaking.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked as I stared down at the ring. "Tori?"

"We're- we're married?" I asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah. We have been for a couple years now. Did you forget?"

"I-" I paused, looking up into his eyes as he got more and more frustrated with me. Whatever was going on, I had to play along. At least until I figured out what was happening. "Of course not? How could I forget that?"

"Okay." Dean nodded, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." I mumbled, internally rolling my eyes for what I was about to say. "I guess I did have too much gin last night."

"Well, the first step _is_ admitting you have a problem." Dean joked, a smirk on his lips as he cradled my face in his hands, leaning in to kiss me. "Well, if you're good here, I think I'll go give Sammy a call."

"Right." I nodded, watching him walk away.

When that Djinn attacked me, I probably hit my head. I'm sure this is all in my mind and I'm laying in a hospital bed again somewhere. That had to be it, right?

* * *

DPOV

The sound of a TV playing quietly in the background echoed in my head as it pounded. I let out a sigh, opening my eyes to see a white ceiling above me. I looked around frantically, realizing I wasn't in this room a few hours ago.

Where the hell am I?

I glanced over to my side, seeing Tori's bare back as she laid next to me and let out a breath of relief, feeling calmer knowing she was here. I nudged her shoulder, trying to wake her up as she slept quietly.

"Tori..." I muttered, shaking her arm a bit.

"W- what?" She mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at me. "What's the matter."

"Where the hell are we?"

"What are you talking about? Go back to sleep, Dean." Tori murmured tiredly, rolling back over.

"No, no- Tori!" I said a bit louder, rolling her back over.

"What, Dean?" Tori asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Where are we?"

"Our apartment." She muttered, holding the sheets around herself as she sat up. "Babe, what's the matter?"

"What is going on?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Okay, I'm calling Sam."

"Now? Dean-" Tori paused, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand. "It's two in the morning."

With a huff, I got up and threw some clothes on before grabbing my phone off the nightstand, dialing Sam's number.

" _Dean?_ " Sam answered. " _What's going on?_ "

"I don't know. I don't know where I am."

" _What? What happened?_ " Sam asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Well, the uh, the Djinn. It attacked me and then Tori…I think." I muttered, glancing back at Tori. She raised an eyebrow, looking at me like I was crazy. "And apparently, she doesn't remember anything."

" _The gin? You're...drinking gin?_ "

"No, asshat. The Djinn. The scary creature. Remember? It put its hand on me and then I woke up here- wherever the hell this is."

" _Your apartment?_ " Sam laughed. " _Dean, where is Tori?_ "

"She's right here. But she- she's acting like she doesn't remember anything."

" _Dean, you're drunk. You're drunk-dialing me._ "

"I am not drunk. Quit screwing around!" I shouted, getting annoyed. Tori let out a sigh, plucking the phone from my hands.

"Sam? Yeah, it's me." She nodded along to whatever he was saying, glancing over at me with a worried look. "Yeah, no, he's fine. See you tomorrow."

I tried to grab the phone back from her but, she slapped my hands away, quickly hanging up. "What the hell, Tori? What is going on with you?"

"Me? What's going on with you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going back to bed. I think you should, too."

Tori leaned forward, placing a kiss on my cheek before laying down again. Without waiting for her to fall asleep, I headed out of the bedroom and into the living room, spotting an envelope sitting on the small end table next to the couch. I went over to it, picking it up.

 **VICTORIA ANDERSON**

 **53 BARKER AVE  
LAWRENCE, KS 66044 **

"Lawrence?" I asked, tossing the envelope back down next to the other few that were addressed to me. "What the hell?"

I made my way through the small room, heading over to a bookshelf where a few pictures of Tori and I sat. There was one framed picture at the end caught my eye, and I picked it up, staring down at it with wide eyes.

It couldn't be...but there it was. A picture of Tori and my...mom, both smiling happily at the camera. Without thinking, I dropped it, hearing the glass shatter as I rushed out of the apartment.

* * *

TPOV 

Ignoring where I was walking as my internal voice argued with itself, I found myself in the kitchen where a bunch of tools were laid out on the counter. Dean stood over to the side, a beer in one hand and a phone in the other.

"I don't know, she was just acting really weird." He sighed, listening to the person's response. "No, it'll be fine. You guys still come." I made my presence known, taking a few steps in the kitchen. Dean spun around, shooting me a small smile before hanging up. "Hey."

"Hi."

"How do you feel?" He asked, putting his beer down, walking over to me.

"Fine. Who was on the phone?"

"Sam."

"He's coming over?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but yeah."

"Why would it be a surprise?" I asked. "We see him everyday."

Again, Dean shot me that _you're crazy_ look. "Tor, we haven't seen Sam in a while. He's flying in from California."

"But- but, I just-" I stuttered, trying to convince myself to play along. "Right. I don't know why that slipped my mind."

"Right."

"So, um, why is Sam flying in?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Of course." I laughed lightly, smiling at him. "Say I wasn't though-"

"Tomorrow is Mother's day." Dean said, shaking his head. "We get together every year."

"For Mother's Day? Why would we do that?" I asked, my brow furrowed. _We don't have mothers_. I nearly added, but thankfully kept my mouth shut.

"I really think you should go get some more rest." Dean said, turning me back towards the living room.

"No, no. I think- it's just like, that time of the month or something. You know how us girls get." I said, turning around to face him.

"Right." Dean nodded, pulling me close to him. "Well, I still love you."

"What?" I asked, taken off guard.

"I love you."

"You said..."

" _I love you_." Dean repeated. "I said, I love you."

"Alright, stop. You're gonna give me a heart attack." I mumbled, pulling in a deep breath. I've never heard those words come out of him so many times.

"Why?" Dean chuckled.

"You never-" I paused, looking up into his eyes, getting lost in them. I smiled up at him, biting my lip.  
"Can you repeat that again?"

"I. Love. You." Dean said pointedly, smiling with every word.

"I love you, too." I muttered, getting completely lost in the moment as Dean bent down, placing a kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, getting lost in the moment when something crossed my mind.

What if all of this wasn't in my mind?

My eyes snapped opened and I pulled away from Dean, trying to ignore the confused look on his face as he watched me. "What's wrong?"

"N- nothing." I mumbled, seeing a letter opener on the counter out of the corner of my eye.

I smiled at him, leaning in to kiss him again as I reached for it, placing it underneath his t-shirt collar on his shoulder blade. Dean jumped, letting out a hiss as the metal touched his skin and I quickly jumped back, holding it out in front of me.

"Why did you do that?" Dean asked, looking down to the letter opener.

"Why did you jump?" I challenged.

"Because it's cold."

"What?"

"It's iron."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, it's cold." Dean repeated, gently taking the letter opener from my hand, placing it back on the dresser before cradling my face in his hands. "Have you been watching _The X-Files_ lately or something?"

"More like _the Twilight Zone._ " I muttered. This wasn't a shapeshifter standing in front of me, it was Dean. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little frazzled."

"It's okay." Dean nodded. "Why don't you go and lay down in the living room, I'll be in, in a little while."

"Sure." I mumbled. I thought what I'd done would give me an easy answer, but instead I just ended up being more confused than before.

* * *

DPOV 

My breath caught in my throat as I looked up at the house, the one I never wanted to set foot in again. I swallowed hard, pushing myself to exit the Impala and make my way up the path to the steps. I stood there in front of the door, fearing what was on the other side.

Pulling in a keep breath, I quickly knocked on the door while I still had the courage. A few moments passed and my heart dropped a little, until I heard the door being unlocked. My eyes widened as she answered, looking the same as I remembered.

"Dean?"

"Mom?"

Concern covered her features as she stared up at me. "What are you doing here? Are you all right?"

"I don't know."

"Well... come inside." She muttered, stepping aside so I could enter. I stood a cautious step inside, never taking my eyes off of her as she closed the door behind me.

"Tori just called and said you were acting strange and just... took off all of a sudden."

"She did?" I asked, shaking my head quickly. I didn't believe any of this was real, but in my head there was only one way to find out. "Let me ask you a question. When I was a kid, what did you always tell me when you put me to bed?"

"Dean, I don't understand-"

"Just answer the question."

"I told you angels were watching over you."

"I don't believe it." I muttered, hugging her tightly.

"Honey, you're scaring me." She muttered, taking a step back, still holding my the tops of my arms. "Now just tell me what's going on."

"You don't think that wishes can- can really..."

"What?" She asked, staring up at me with confused eyes.

"Forget it." I said, hugging her again as I held back tears. "Forget it. I'm just uh... I'm happy to see you, that's all."

"I'm happy to see you, too." She patted my back lightly as she hugged me tightly, pulling back with a small smile on her face.

"You're beautiful." I mumbled, laughing slightly.

"What?" She asked, smiling up at me.

I shook my head, clearing my throat. "Hey, when I was uh...when I was young was there ever a fire here?"

"No. Never." She answered, moving into the next room. I followed her closely, looking at the various pictures positioned around the house. They were mostly ones of Sam and I when we were younger, and a few of her and Dad, though she had some of Tori and I as well.

"I thought there was. I guess I was wrong." I muttered, picking up a framed picture of Dad wearing a baseball uniform with a laugh. "Dad's on a softball team. Dad's softball team. It's- that's funny to me."

"He loved that stupid team." Mom muttered, looking down. Loved?

"Dad's dead?" I asked, watching as she nodded. "And the thing that killed him was a..."

"A stroke." She finished. "He died in his sleep. You know that."

"That's great." I mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

I hesitated a moment, realizing that I'd actually said that out loud. "That – that's great. That he went peacefully, I mean. It sure beats the alternative."

She stared at me for a moment, analyzing me. "You've been drinking."

"No, I haven't." I said as she turned towards the phone. "Mom."

"I'm just gonna call Tori and have her come pick you up, okay?"

"Wait. No, no!" I shook my head, placing a hand over hers as she picked up the phone. "Don't- don't do that. Don't do that. I wanna stay here."

"Why?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Because I-I miss the place. It's okay, you- you go to bed. Okay?" I muttered, sitting down on the couch as I tried to catch my breath. This was all too much to take in at once.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Mom asked, standing next to me.

"I think so." I sighed.

"Okay." She smiled, kissing my forehead lightly before walking towards the steps. "Get some rest. I love you."

"Me too." I mumbled, watching her go. I let out a breath of air, looking at everything around me.

I couldn't believe this.

* * *

TPOV 

It was strange, like a part of me knew this wasn't real, that it just couldn't be. Yet at the same exact time, I had trouble coming up with reasons as to why it _just couldn't be_.

Dean went back to fixing the sink, which I had apparently been asking him to do lately and I headed back into the living room, plopping down on the couch, my body feeling like jelly. I let out a sigh, an idea coming into my head.

I grabbed the laptop was sitting on one of the end tables and started it up, doing a quick Google search of _Djinn_ 's just to see what I'd get.

The only thing that popped up were pictures of cartoon style genies and _I Dream of Jeanie_.

"Why are you looking at pictures of Barbara Eden?" Dean asked from behind me, startling me. I let out a small yelp, slamming the laptop shut. "Is there something going on I should know about?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, watching him walk around to the front of the couch.

"Do you have a crush on Barbara Eden?" He asked, a smirk on his lips.

"No."

"Why not? She's pretty hot." Dean said. I shook my head, shoving his shoulder as he chuckled.

"Shut up."

"Really, what were you doing?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What was the last hunt we went on?" I asked, turning towards him.

" _Hunt_?" Dean repeated, furrowing his brow. "I don't think we've ever gone hunting."

"What do you mean?"

"We've never gone hunting together, Tor." Dean said. I stopped, realizing something.

If Dean had no idea what a Djinn was, then I guess that meant we weren't hunters anymore.

"Oh, right." I nodded. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"I didn't think that would be something you'd wanna do, anyway."

"No, not really." I muttered, leaning back on the couch.

"Well, I'm gonna go finish up."

"Okay."

Once he was gone, I opened the laptop again, going through page after page until I found a conspiracy theory website. As much as I didn't want to, that seemed to be my only hope right now, and I clicked on it. The link brought me to a website decorated with pictures of triangles and saucers all over it.

I rolled my eyes, scrolling down the page until I came across a forum about Djinn's. To my surprise, the first post contained pretty accurate information. My eyes skimmed over the parts I already knew, until I got to the last paragraph.

 _Their power is godlike. They can alter reality in whatever way they please. Past, present and future._

Could all of this be because of the Djinn? But what happened to Dean? If he had gotten attacked, why didn't he remember what I did? What was real?

Just then, Dean came back into the room, turning the news on just as the whether forecast was finishing up.

"So, re _member to put on sunscreen if you head outside, it's going to be a sunny day here in Kansas."_

"Kansas?" I muttered, staring at the TV.

"Yeah, that's where we live." Dean said, shooting me another weird look. Just then there was a knock at the door, startling me. "Would you mind getting that?"

"Why? You're standing." I said, glancing up at him.

Dean quickly sat down, smiling at me. "Well, not anymore."

"Nice." I replied, making my way over to the door, opening it. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the woman standing there, staring at her.

"Victoria?" Rose asked, looking at me with concern. Tears immediately sprung to my eyes at the sound of her gentle voice. It was just like I remembered. Without warning, I flew into her arms, clearly catching her off guard. But she still held me tightly, all the same.

"Oh, my god, Rose." I cried, burying my face into her shoulder.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Rose asked, rubbing my back.

"Nothing." I mumbled, taking a step back, wiping the tears off my cheeks as I went. "I haven't heard you voice in so long."

"We just spoke on the phone last night, sweetie." Rose said, pushing my hair over my shoulders.

"We- we did?"

"Yes." Rose nodded. The sound of luggage wheels scraped across the brick pathway as Peter walked up the porch.

"Peter!" I called, running over to hug him. The tears I had nearly held back started pouring down my cheeks all over again.

"Goodness, Victoria, you're acting like you haven't seen us in years." Peter laughed, smiling down at me as I pulled back.

"Well, it- it really feels that way." I smiled. "God, I just- I can't believe it's you."

They all looked exactly like I remembered and in that instant, it didn't really matter much to me if all of this was real or not. I just wanted to spend time with them again.

* * *

Not too long after, Rose and I headed out to the store to pick up some things for tomorrow. On our way out, I fished the keys out of my pocket, stopping short as I spotted the new car sitting in the driveway.

Well, that certainly wasn't the Impala.

"You okay, honey?" Rose asked from the passenger side.

"Yeah." I nodded, pulling a deep breath as I got into the car.

It was when I was on the road that I realized I had no idea where I was going, and drove around for a while before actually finding a store. Once there, Rose grabbed a cart as I walk alongside her with a list. I felt a small smile spreading across my lips, remembering how we used to do this when I was younger.

"What are you smiling about?" Rose asked.

"Oh, nothing." I said, grabbing a bag of sugar, placing it in the cart. "God, I feel so...normal."

"What do you mean?"

"Just feels like I haven't done this in a while." I muttered, glancing up at her.

"You know, Dean was telling me you haven't been feeling well lately."

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure, honey?" Rose asked, concern shining in her eyes.

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling at her. "So, um, how's the church?"

"Oh, it's doing fine. Great as always."

"Great." I smiled, glancing down at the list. "Hey, we forgot something in the other isle. I'll go get it."

"Okay."

I turned, heading back into an isle a few rows down when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure walking past. In an instant, I completely zoned her out, staring where the man had been. Without even realizing it, I had walked over to the end of the isle, following him as he kept walking aimlessly.

After passing a few more isles, the man suddenly turned, revealing his face to me.

"Dean?" I asked, my eyes widening as I took in his sickly appearance. He didn't seem to hear me, even though I was only a few feet away. So I kept walking closer as he moved away from me. I found myself picking up my pace, nearly running after him as he walked away. "Dean!"

The sudden sound of a door slamming shut caught my attention, and when I looked back, Dean had disappeared. My heart pounded in my chest as I frantically whipped around.

Where did he go?

Noticing that a few people were staring, I slipped back into an isle, trying to collect myself before going to find Rose. That was all in my head, I'm sure Dean is alright.

* * *

On the way back home, I opted to not drive, letting Rose do it. I was exceptionally quite, nothing like I had been on the way there. If Rose had noticed, which I knew she had, she didn't say anything. When the car was parked in the driveway, I practically bolted into the house, running in to see Dean sitting on the couch with Peter.

"Hey!" He smiled, standing up. He looked perfectly normal. Without thinking, I ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "What happened?"

"You're okay."

"Of course I am." Dean said, placing a kiss on my forehead. "I'll go bring the stuff inside, why don't you go sit?"

"Yeah." I nodded, making my way over to the couch, sitting next to Peter.

"Did something happen while you were gone?"

"No, no." I shook my head. "I think I'm just tired."

Dean and Rose came in then, their hands full of bags, talking to each other as they went into the kitchen. I felt an involuntary smile spread across my face watching them together. It was something I never thought I'd see.

* * *

After a night full of talking and laughing, I was practically exhausted as Dean and I headed upstairs to our bedroom. No matter how real all of this felt, I just kept wondering when I was going to wake up.

"You okay?" Dean asked, concern filling his eyes.

"Stop asking me that." I muttered, sitting on the bed, seeing another wedding picture on the dresser. Dean sat next to me, looking at the picture.

"You looked so beautiful that day."

"What, I don't look beautiful every other day?" I asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no- no of course you do! I just- I just meant-" Dean scrambled.

"I know. I'm kidding." I said, setting the picture back down. "So tell me, how did that day go exactly?"

"What, our wedding?"

"Yeah."

"You don't remember?"

"I just want to hear it."

"Well, we uh, we got married. And uh, it was great."

"Gee, thanks." I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Everyone was there, it was one of the best days of my life. What else is there to say? I shoved cake in your face." Dean chuckled.

"Sounds like a great day." I smiled, looking up at him. "Dean, do you think wishes can really come true?"

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "You're my wish."

"And you're extremely cheesy." I smiled as he winked at me before leaning down to kiss my neck. A few moments passed before he sat upright, pulling off my shirt.

"But..."

"But what?"

"I'm also an amazing lover, don't forget that part." Dean smirked, gently laying me down on the bed before standing up by my feet, pulling my jeans off, trailing kisses down my body as he went – stopping right where I wanted him.

* * *

DPOV 

The next morning, I woke to the sound of birds chirping and lawn mowers chattering. I wondered to myself what the hell any of that's doing near a motel, then I remembered it all. I let out a sigh, shaking my head as I stood, reaching for the phone.

" _Hey, it's me. I can't come to the pho-_ " Sam's answering machine droned. I hung up, shoving the phone back in my pocket, making my way back outside to the Impala.

I had to try and figure this out, even if it was on my own.

* * *

"Well I don't think I've seen you in my class before." The professor muttered, sitting down at his desk.

"You kiddin' me? I love your lectures. You- you make learning fun." I bullshitted.

"So. What can I do for you?"

"What can you tell me about Djinns?"

"Djinns?" He asked, slightly taken a-back.

"Yeah."

"Hm. Come with me." He said, leading me out of the office towards the library where he pulled out a few different books, laying them down on a table. He went over them in silence for a moment before looking up at me, pointing to a picture of a Djinn on the page.

"Well, a lot of Muslims believed the Djinn are very real. And they're mentioned in the Koran-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I interrupted. "Get to the wish part."

"What about it?"

"Do you think they could really do it?"

"Um- uh, no. No, I don't think they can _really do it_. You understand these are mythical creatures?" He asked, looking at me like I was crazy.

"Yeah, I know. I- I- I know. I know. But uh...I mean in the stories. You know, say you had a wish, but you never even said it out loud. Like that- that a loved one never died. Or that, uh, something awful never happened."

"Supposedly, yes. I mean they have godlike power. They can alter reality however they want. Past. Present. Future."

"Why would the Djinn do it? What, self-defense? Or maybe it's not really evil." I rambled.

"Son?" The professor asked, looking at me cautiously.

"What?"

"You been drinking?"

"Everybody keeps asking me that. But uh...no." I mumbled. "Thanks for everything."

"Sure."

After leaving the professor, I made my way back out to the car, opening the trunk out of curiosity. My eyes widened at what I saw in it...or the lack of what I saw in it, to be clear.

There were only a few magazines, paper cups and a few rags. Normal things that normal non-hunter type person would have.

"Well, who would've thought, baby. We're civilians." I laughed, patting the trunk as I closed it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something moving quickly and turned to see what was there. My mouth dropped open when I saw Tori standing there, a few feet away, her clothes hanging limply around her body, her eyes sunken in and sickly looking.

"Tori?" I called quietly, walking towards her.

She kept moving away from me, every few steps I took, she would take the same. I quickened my pace, nearly running after her when suddenly, the sound of a horns blaring broke through the daze I seemed to be in and I jumped out of the way just as a car screeched to a halt in front of me.

When I looked back up, searching for her – she was gone.

* * *

Once I got back to the car, I pulled out my phone, dialing Tori's number. I sighed in relief when answered on the first few rings, her voice cheerful and happy.

" _There you are!_ "

"What?"

" _Mary said you spent the night there, thanks for letting me know that, by the way._ " She grumbled.

"Sorry, I just- I just wasn't thinking straight." I muttered, shaking my head a little.

"I guess not." She said, a smile to her voice. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Love you."

"Me too." I mumbled, hanging up. If I just spoke to Tori, then who did I see? It obviously couldn't have been her...maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. That had to have been it.

Then why did it feel so wrong?

* * *

Back at the house, Mom had literally made me lunch. I didn't know how to take any of this, she was so caring and sweet and...I'd just never experienced it before.

"This is the best sandwich, ever." I said around the food in my mouth. I heard Mom chuckle from the other room as she made her way back in.

"Thank you."

"I tried to get hold of Sam earlier. Where- where is he?"

"Oh, he'll be here soon."

"Good. Dying to see him." I smiled, taking another bite of the sandwich.

"Sweetie, I- I...don't get me wrong. I am thrilled you are...hanging out here...all of a sudden." She paused, sitting down next to me. "But uh... shouldn't you be at work?"

"Work?"

"At the garage?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Right. The garage. It's where I work, yeah. No, I-I–I've got the day off." I paused, letting out a low chuckle. "Good thing."

I glanced out the window at the bright sunlight shining in, noticing the grass was a little tall. "That lawn looks like it could use some mowing."

"You want to mow the lawn?" Mom asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"You kidding me?" I asked, a little more excited than I probably should've been. "I'd love to mow the lawn."

"Knock yourself out. You'd think you'd never mowed a lawn in your life."

 _Actually, no, I haven't._ I almost said. Instead, I shrugged, finished up the sandwich before heading outside.

* * *

After struggling with the lawnmower for what felt like forever, I'd finally gotten the hang of it. I was in just finishing up the front lawn when a small, black car pulled up, parking in front of the house. I watched as Tori stepped out, staring over at me with curious eyes as she pushed her sunglasses into her hair.

"Hey." She called out, throwing the keys in her purse as she made her way over to me.

"...hey." I muttered, trying to shut the lawn mower off.

"You're mowing the lawn?" Tori asked, squinting up at me as the sun shined through the clouds.

"I am." I nodded, smiling down at her.

She grinned up at me, shaking her head. "Well, you seem to be having fun...so, carry on."

Tori turned, heading inside the house. I watched her through the window, a smile spreading across my face as Mom hugged her tightly, the two smiling at each other as they spoke.

That was something I thought I'd never see.

* * *

After I'd finally finished and the lawn was done, I sat on the porch, watching as a few people walked or drove by. I heard the door open behind me, turning to see Tori standing there with a beer in her hands. She came over, placing a hand on her shoulder as she sat next to me.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." I muttered, taking the beer from her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Better." I nodded, smiling down at her. Just then another car drove up, parking behind Tori's. We watched as Sam got out of the car, followed by Jessica. "I don't believe it."

"What?" Tori asked, looking over at me as I got up, heading over to the car. Tori followed close behind, smiling at Jessica. Without thinking, I pulled Jessica into a tight hug, much to the surprise of Tori as she watched on.

"You're, uh, good to see you too Dean." Jessica muttered, patting my back softly. "Can't breathe...okay."

I pulled back with a sheepish smiled as Tori placed a hand on my arm, looking over at me strangely before turning to Jessica. "Hey, Jess."

"Hey, Tori!" Jessica smiled, hugging her. Sam walked over then, carrying a few bags in his hands.

"Sammy." I smiled, looking over at him.

"Hey." He muttered unenthusiastically.

"Look at you. You're with Jessica, it's – I don't believe it." I laughed, shaking my head as the craziness of it all.

"Yeah."

"Where'd you guys come from?"

"We just flew in from... Califor-"

"California!?" I exclaimed, patting his shoulder. "Stanford. Huh? Law school, I bet."

Sam nodded to the beer in my hand, shaking his head. "I see you started off Mom's birthday with a bang, as usual."

"Wait. Mom's birthday, that's- that's today?" I asked, glancing over at Tori.

"Yeah. Yeah, Dean. That's today. That's why we're here." Sam said, looking at me with disappointed eyes. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Wha-"

"Of course he didn't forget, Sam." Tori said, standing next to me. "My god, like he would forget his own mother's birthday."

Sam raised an eyebrow staring down at Tori as Jessica and I watched on. I could feel the tension flowing between them as they glared at each other.

Something was definitely off there, I don't think I'd ever seen the two of them argue before.

"We're gonna head inside." Sam said, breaking eye contact with Tori, pushing past me. Jessica lagged behind, looking at us with apologetic eyes before following Sam.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Your brother and I don't always see eye to eye, you know that. It's nothing." Tori shrugged.

"What? You two are so close! Like- like brother and sister!"

"Not quite." Tori muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded, letting out a sigh. "I'm fine."

* * *

TPOV 

The sun shined through the windows, basking the entire room in it's bright light. I rolled over, feeling the other side of the bed, noticing it was empty. Opening my eyes, I saw that Dean was gone. With a sigh, I rolled on my back, staring up at the white ceiling, last nights events playing through my mind.

My memory was interrupted by the image of a tried looking Dean walking around in the street, his eyes sunken in. I quickly shut mine, trying to get rid of that image as fast as I could. An unsettled feeling fell over my and my stomach started churning. I got up, running into the bathroom, getting sick in the toilet.

After I was done emptying my stomach, I brushed my teeth and hair, changing into some black leggings and a white plaid shirt and made my way downstairs where the sound of the TV echoed through the living room.

I headed into the kitchen where Rose and Peter were sitting at the table drinking coffee, empty plates sitting in front of them.

"Morning, honey." They both muttered in unison, smiling up at me.

"Morning." I smiled, making my way over to Dean as he pushed some scrambled eggs onto a plate. "You cooked breakfast?"

"Don't sound so surprised." Dean said, looking over to Rose and Peter. "It was good, right?"

"Very." Rose smiled as Peter nodded.

"So, how'd you sleep?" Dean asked, glancing back at me with a wink.

"Fine." I smiled.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Anything I can help with?"

"Nah, I got it covered."

"Alright." I said, hopping up on the counter. "So Sam's coming today, right?"

"Yeah. He just called from the airport not too long ago." Dean muttered just as the doorbell rang. "Well, speak of the devil."

"What?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening.

"That's Sam."

"Oh, right." I muttered, jumping down off the counter to follow Dean to the door.

"Hey!" Sam smiled, hugging his brother tightly. I watched at the interaction happily, waving at Sam when he walked in. "Hey, Tori! Long time, no see!"

"Oh, right. Yeah." I nodded, remembering that I hadn't seen him in a while, according to Dean. He pulled me in, giving me a big hug. Over his shoulder, I saw someone else hand Dean a bag and my eyes widened as Jessica walked into the house, a big smile on her face.

"Hi!" She said excitedly, coming over to Sam's side to pull him away from me. "Move, I have to hug my girl!" Jessica pulled me into her arms, squeezing me tightly. "How are you?"

"I'm- I'm great." I smiled, not wanting to let go of her. "You- you're-"

"What?" Jessica asked, her brow furrowed.

"I just can't believe you're here."

"Me either. That flight was hell. I didn't think we would ever make it, what with all the delays." Jessica mumbled, rolling her eyes before going over to Rose and Peter. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. E!"

A few moments passed as I watched Sam and Jessica interact with Rose and Peter, a smile on my face. This was all so crazy, I didn't know how to process any of it.

Just then, there was another knock at the door, and Dean went over, opening it. "Dad."

"Hey, son." John muttered, stepping inside.

"John!" I exclaimed, running over and giving him a hug. I'm not quite sure how much more of this my heart can take.

"Hey, Vic." John said, a smile in his voice.

"Don't hog her, now. I wanna say hi to my daughter-in-law, too!" A voice called from behind John.

My mouth dropped open as he moved aside to reveal Mary standing there, her blonde hair hanging around her shoulders and a warm smile on her face as he pulled me to her.

"Mary?" I muttered, slightly unsure.

"Hi honey." She smiled, patting my back.

"My god, you're so beautiful." I mumbled, staring at her. All the amazing pictures I'd seen, yet she was somehow more beautiful in person.

"Oh, thank you." She murmured, smiling up at me a little awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I nodded, looking around the room that was filled with everyone I loved. "Better than fine, actually."

If I had a hard time believing any of this was real before, I certainly didn't know what to think now.

* * *

DPOV 

The five of us sat a large table in a fancy restaurant, the lights dimmed down around us. Tori sat next to me, looking absolutely beautiful in the dress she was wearing. Just then, our waiter came over, placing our plates down in front of us.

"Wow, that... looks awesome." I muttered, looking down at the sprigs of asparagus, glancing over at Tori as she smiled at me.

"Would you like any champagne, miss?" The waiter asked, smiling down at Tori.

"Um, no thank you." She muttered with a small smile.

I saw Mom shoot her a strange look, raising an eyebrow. "You don't want any?"

"No, I'm good."

"...really?"

"Mary, I'm not a lush." Tori giggled.

"No, no, I'm not saying that." Mom said, trying to hide the smile on her lips, like she knew something no one else did.

"Alright. Uh, to Mom." Sam said, raising his glass. "Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday." Jessica smiled.

"Thank you."

"To mom." I muttered. I watched on as Sam leaned over, kissing Jessica lightly. Tori let out a sigh, but to be honest, it sounded like a slight huff of annoyance more than anything else.

"I was really worried about you last night." She said, looking over to me.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I'm good. I'm really good."

"Okay." Tori muttered, poking around at the food in her plate with a fork. "What do you say, later we get some cheeseburgers?"

I smiled down at her. "Oh god, yes. How did I end up with such a cool chick?"

"I've got low standards." She muttered, leaning over to kiss me.

"Alright. Jess and I actually have another surprise for Mom's birthday. Ah, you wanna tell them?" Sam asked, looking over at Jessica.

"They're your family."

"Alright."

"What? Tell me." Mom said, smiling over at them. Sam held up Jessica's hand, showing off her engagement ring.

"Oh my God! That's so wonderful." Mom exclaimed, standing to hug Jessica.

"Congratulations, you two." Tori muttered unenthusiastically, standing to her feet.

Jessica and Sam muttered a couple thank you's as Tori hugged Jessica. Mom hugged Sam, pulling back with a sad look on her face. "I just wish your dad was here."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Jessica, let me see that ring." Mom muttered as Tori grabbed Jessica's hand.

"Oh my god, that's beautiful."

"It is." Mom gushed.

"Congratulations Sammy." I said.

"Thanks."

"I'm really glad you're happy."

Sam raised an eyebrow, looking confused at what I'd said. Over his shoulder, I saw the same ghostly figure of Tori that caught my eye earlier today at the campus. I walked past Sam, moving through the crowded restaurant as she walked away. I let out an audible gasp when she turned around, looking even worse than before.

"Tori?" I whispered, watching her closely. Again, I took my eyes off of her for a second, and she was gone. I let out a breath of air, turning back to everyone to see them staring at me with looks of concern.

* * *

The girls all moved into the house, talking about the wedding. Tori lagged behind a bit, glancing back at me with curious eyes as Jessica dragged her over to her side.

"So, Dean, what was uh... what was all that back at the restaurant?" Sam asked as we walked inside.

"I-I thought I saw someone. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Well, I had a lovely birthday. Thank you." Mom smiled, hugging Jessica and Tori once more. "Good night."

"Good night." I muttered, staring over at her as she headed upstairs.

"Night, Mom." Sam nodded, turning back to Jessica. "Yeah, well I'm beat. Ready to turn in?"

"Sure." She nodded with a smile.

"Alright. Good night guys."

"Wait a second. Wait a second." I muttered, stopping them as they moved to the stairs. "Come on, it's not even nine o'clock yet. Let's uh, let's go have a drink or something."

"Yeah, maybe another time." Sam muttered, glancing over at Tori pointedly.

"Come on, man. Look at us. Huh? We both have beautiful women on our arms. You're engaged. Let's go celebrate." I suggested as a moment of awkward silence took over the room.

"Guys, can you excuse us?" Sam asked, turning to Jessica and Tori. "I just want to talk to my brother for a sec."

"Sure." Jessica replied, grabbing Tori's arm. Tori fought against her for a moment, shooting daggers at Sam. "Tori, come on."

"I'll be right in the other room." Tori muttered, running a hand down my arm, never taking her eyes off of Sam.

Sam waited for the girls to leave before walking over to the corner of the living room. "Come here."

"What?"

"Okay. What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean this whole warm, fuzzy ecstasy-trip thing."

"I'm just happy for you, Sammy."

"Yeah, right. That's another thing. Since when do you call me Sammy?" Sam asked, catching me off guard. "Dean, come on. We don't talk outside of holidays."

"We don't? Well, we should. I mean, you're my brother."

" _You're my brother_?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"You know, that's what you said when you snaked my ATM card, or when you bailed on my graduation, or when you hooked up with Rachel Nave."

"Who?"

"Uh, my prom date. On prom night."

"Yeah, that does kinda sound like me." I mumbled, shaking my head. "Well, hey man, I'm sorry about all that."

"No that, look, that's all right man, I-I just...you know I'm not asking you to change. I-I just- I don't know, I...guess we just don't really have anything in common. You know?"

"Whoa, whoa. Yes we do."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Hunting." I said simply.

"Hunting? I've never been hunting in my life, Dean."

"Yeah, well, then we should go it sometime. I- I think you'd be great at it." I stammered.

Sam shot me a disappointed look, shaking his head. "Get some rest."

After my talk with Sam, I couldn't really seem to get my thoughts together. Sam hated my guts, and that really bother me. If there was one thing I never wanted, it was for him to hate me.

Back at our apartment, I sat on the couch, letting out a sigh as Tori sat next to me, handing me a beer.

"What's the matter?" She asked, patting my shoulder.

"Sammy and I don't get along."

"Well, you don't really spend a lot of time together. I mean, I just think you don't know each other all that well." Tori shrugged. "Plus, Sam can be a bit of a pompous jerk."

"What? You would never say that about him." I muttered, shaking my head.

"What? I say that stuff about him all the time." Tori laughed. "Can you believe how he just upstaged your mothers birthday dinner? I mean, it's great that they're engaged and all but...Jesus."

"I thought it was nice." I shrugged.

"You thought an engagement was nice?"

"Yeah."

"Where is my Dean and what have you done with him?" Tori asked, laughing lightly. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"It's good to see him happy."

"Yeah. And hey, for the record, he doesn't know what he's missing."

"I can fix things with Sam. I can make it up to him. To everyone." I muttered adamantly.

"Okay, well, I have something to tell you."

"What?

"Promise you won't get mad."

"Why-"

"Promise."

"Fine, I won't get mad." I shrugged.

"Okay. Well, there's no good way to break it to you, so I'll just come right out and say it." Tori sighed. "I'm pregnant."

"What?" I asked, my eyes going wide.

"I'm pregnant."

"You're..."

"Pregnant. With child." Tori said, biting her lip. "Are you upset?"

I blinked a few times, staring at her. I thought if she ever told me that I would be freaking out, but honestly…I was happy.

"No. Not at all." I smiled, laughing nervously. "That's why you didn't want to drink."

"Yeah." Tori nodded, tears in her eyes. "So you're really not upset?"

"Honestly, I'm not. That's...exciting."

"Okay. What's gotten into you lately?" She asked more seriously this time, leaning back a bit.

"This probably isn't gonna make a lick of sense to you. But I kind of feel like I've been given a second chance. And I don't wanna waste it."

"You're right, that doesn't make any sense." Tori muttered, leaning in to kiss me. "But whatever's gotten into you...I like it."

"Oh, really?" I asked, deepening the kiss.

"Okay, don't do this to me now. I've gotta get ready for work." Tori said, jumping off the couch.

"You got to work now?"

"Yeah, I told you. I've got the night shifts on Thursday." She muttered, heading into the bedroom. I followed her quickly as she went through the closet.

"You work nights at the, uh-" I paused, watching her take out a set of scrubs. "-hospital. You're a nurse..."

"Yes. You knew that."

"No, no, of course. Just...I can really see you doing that." I muttered, mostly to myself. "So, is that okay for the...you know..."

"The baby?"

"Yeah."

"Dean, I'm only a couple months pregnant."

"You waited that long to tell me?"

"I didn't know how you'd take it." She muttered, walking over to wrap her arms around my neck. "But I'm glad you're happy about it."

"Yeah." I nodded, smiling down at her. "I am."

* * *

TPOV 

The day carried on with all of us just sitting around, talking to each other about our lives. I couldn't believe what was happening right now. It seemed way too good to be true, and I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I made my way over to the kitchen where Dean, Sam and Jessica were, pausing at the doorway to listening to their conversation.

"I don't know, but it was like she'd just forgotten everything. She didn't remember that we were married, where we lived. I just- I don't know." Dean explained.

"Did you talk to her about going to the doctor?" Sam asked.

"No. I know that'll freak her out."

"She should go, though."

"You know, I think I know what's going on here." Jessica muttered, pausing when she saw me standing in the door way.

Dean turned around, smiling over at me. "Oh, hey, babe."

"Hey." I mumbled, walking into the room. "I just wanted to get some more tea."

"Alright." Dean nodded, placing a kiss on my temple as him and Sam left, heading back out into the living room.

As I moved around the kitchen, I could feel Jessica's eyes on me, following me no matter what I did.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking over at her.

"So, when are you gonna tell him?" She asked excitedly.

"Tell who, what?"

"Tell Dean that you're pregnant."

"I'm- I'm what?" I asked, my eyes going wide as my hand flew to my stomach.

"You don't remember?" She asked, moving over to my side. "Huh. I guess all those Mama hormones are messing with you brain."

"How do you know I'm pregnant?"

"You called and told me like a week a go."

"I did?" I asked, glancing over at her. "Oh, right. I did."

"Yeah." She nodded. "So when are you gonna tell him?"

"Today, I guess?" I shrugged, letting out a sigh.

"Good. I want to see his reaction."

"You and me, both." I mumbled, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"What?" Jessica asked, not having heard me.

"Oh, nothing." I shrugged it off, taking my cup back out to the living room, feeling Jessica following close behind.

About another hour went by and I could feel Jessica practically bouncing with excitement as she sat next to me, anxiously awaiting my announcement.

"You know, Dean, I think Tori has a surprise for you." Jessica smiled, clearly not able to hold it in any longer.

"Oh, really?" Dean asked, looking over at me with curiosity.

I let out a sigh, glancing over at him. "I- I do..."

"Okay..."

"I'm pregnant…?" I said nervously.

"Really?" Dean asked, excitement shining in his eyes.

"Yes?" I mumbled. Dean hugged me tightly, kissing me as he pulled back. "You're excited?"

"Of course I'm excited!" Dean exclaimed, smiling up at me. "This is great."

"Really?"

"What, did you think I'd be mad?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, shooting him a small smile. Eventually the talk of the baby had subsided, leaving me feeling pretty drained. Even though seeing all of them made me happier than I could ever explain, an uncomfortable feeling grew in the pit of my stomach in the longer I sat here.

I excused myself, making my way into the kitchen, pulling a beer out of the refrigerator, opening it up. Just as I was about to take a sip, Dean pulled the bottle out of my hand, his eyes wide.

"What are you doing?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"The baby!"

"Oh my god. I completely forgot." I muttered, shaking my head.

"How did you forget that?" Dean asked, staring down at me with concerned eyes. I started zoning out a bit as he spoke, my eyes drifting across the house to the window in the front. I saw the same figure from the other night standing there with his back to me.

"Dean?" I called, feeling a pain in my chest as he turned around, revealing the deep purple circles under his eyes and his severely sunken in face.

"What?"

 _Dean_ turned and moved past the wall, back outside and without thinking, I dropped the bottle, hearing the glass shatter as I ran after him through the house, ignoring everyone's calls for me as I ripped the front door open.

"Dean!" I called again, about to keep running when I felt strong hands grab my arms. "No! Dean!"

When I looked back up, Dean was gone...except he was the one holding me.

"Okay, that's it." Dean muttered, his eyes wide with worry. "I'm taking you to the doctor."

"Wait-"

"This is ridiculous." Dean said, glancing back outside where everyone else still was. "I don't know what's wrong, but you need to see someone. Now"

"Dean, no-"

"Yes. You do. I mean, you forgot we were married, you forgot what state you live in. You forgot you were pregnant ten minutes after telling me so, and now you're running through the house calling me, when I was right behind you the whole time."

"I thought I saw-"

"What? Me?"

"I-"

"No more excuses."

"Dean please, please...no. I- I'm okay. I just. I don't know what happened. But I'm fine now. I am. I swear to you." I said, gabbing his hands.

"Tori...I'm just- I'm just worried about you."

"I know. Listen, I just- I just need to go lay down, okay? Please." I pleaded, looking up into his eyes.

"...okay."

"Thank you." I sighed, feeling relieved.

"Alright." Dean nodded, letting me go. I could still feel their eyes on me as I went up the stairs, making my way into the bedroom. All I wanted was to be alone.

Everything about this was right, it was all I could ever ask for. All I could ever want. But at the same time, it was wrong. It didn't feel right.

Suddenly, the room starting spinning around me and my eyes blurred. Every time I blinked visions of Dean disappeared and reappeared in an instant. Only every time, he looked worse and worse, until the very last one. The one that scared me the most.

Dean hung from the ceiling, his eyes lifeless as they stared back at me. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Just then, my throat started to feel scratchy and I started to feel trapped, like there wasn't enough air for me to breathe in the large room.

* * *

DPOV 

After Tori left, I stayed on the couch. I couldn't seem to stop thinking about the fact that she was pregnant. I thought I'd be a complete mess. I couldn't believe how calm I actually was about it all.

Eventually, after flicking around channels on the TV aimlessly I finally settled on a news station.

" _And today marks the anniversary of the crash of United Britannia Flight 424."_ The reported said, catching my attention. " _Indianapolis residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of the hundred and eight people who lost their lives..."_

"No, no. I stopped that crash." I muttered, quickly going over to the laptop, starting it up.

I did a quick search of the flight, reading that a year ago it did in fact crash, killing one-hundred and eight people on board. Just because I couldn't stop myself, doing multiple searches of cases that came to mind, each other of them coming up with people having died because I wasn't there to stop it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tori's figure in the apartment, getting up and following her over to a closet where she'd disappeared. I opened the door cautiously, my eyes going wide when I saw Tori's corpse hanging there. I shut the door, breathing heavily as I turned back around.

* * *

The moonlight shined over the graveyard as I walked over to one of the headstones, stopping to read it.

 **JOHN E. WINCHESTER  
1954-2006  
LOVING HUSBAND & FATHER  
REMEMBERED FOREVER **

"All of them. Everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy, Tori and I saved. They're all dead. And there's this vision of Tori that's- that's haunting me. And I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It's like my old life is- is coming after me or something. Like it doesn't want me to be happy. 'Course I know what you'd say. _So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right?_ " I paused, looking down with tears in my eyes.

"But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? What about us, huh? What, Mom's not supposed to live her life, Sammy's not supposed to get married? Tori and I aren't supposed to have a kid?" Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad?"

Just then, thunder clashed loudly through the sky, almost as if that was my answer. As much as I didn't want to, I knew what I had to do.

* * *

I tried as quietly as possible to get into Mom's house, making my way over to the cabinet she'd kept some silverware in that I'd noticed earlier. As I pulled a few boxes out, placing them on the floor when I heard footsteps behind me, turning just as Sam swung a bat at my head. I grabbed the bat, pushing him back to the floor.

"That was so easy, I'm embarrassed for you." I muttered, helping him to his feet.

"Dean? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was looking for a beer."

"In the china cabinet?" Sam asked, turning on a light, looking down at the box. "That's Mom's silver."

"Sam."

"What, you- you broke into the house to steal Mom's silver?"

"It's not what it looks like, okay? I didn't have a choice."

"Oh, really? Why? What's so damn important you gotta steal from your own mother?"

"You want the truth?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

"I owe somebody money." I shrugged. That shouldn't be hard for him to believe considering he hates me so much.

"Who?"

"A bookie. I lost big on a game, I gotta bring him the cash tonight."

"I can't believe we're even related." Sam mumbled, letting out a disappointed sigh.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we don't get along. And I wish to hell I could stay and fix it. But I gotta do this. People's lives depend on it." I said, turning and taking a knife from the box.

"What are you talking about, Dean?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Just uh, tell Mom I love her." I said, holding back tears as I made my way over to the door.

"Dean." Sam called, going after me.

"I'll see you, Sammy." I said, making my way over to the Impala, getting in the driver seat, starting the car.

Just then the door opened and Sam got in, staring over at me. "I'm going with you."

"You're just gonna slow me down."

"Tough."

"This is dangerous and you could get hurt."

"Yeah, and so could you, Dean."

"Sam-"

"Look, whatever stupid thing you're about to do, you're not doing it alone. And that's that." Sam said adamantly.

"I don't understand. Why you doing this?" I asked, looking over at Sam as he sighed.

"Because you're still my brother."

"...bitch." I muttered, smiling at him.

"What are you calling me a bitch for?" Sam asked, confused.

"You're supposed to say _jerk_." I told him.

"What?"

"Never mind." I shook my head, pulling out into the road.

"What's in the bag?" Sam asked, looking down at the bag in the backseat.

"Nothing."

" _Nothing_?"

"Yeah, nothing." I shrugged.

"Fine." Sam said, grabbing the bag, starting to open it.

"You don't wanna do that."

"Oh, really?" Sam asked, pulling out the first thing his hand landed on, which happened to be a container of blood. "What the hell is this?"

"Blood."

"Yeah, I can see that it's blood, Dean!" Sam exclaimed. "What the hell is it doing in here?"

"You don't really wanna know."

"No, I- I do really wanna know. I really, really, do." Sam said, placing the container back in the back on his lap.

"Yeah, well you're gonna find out sooner or later. I needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood." I explained.

"You needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood..." Sam repeated slowly. "Why?"

"Because there's this creature, a Djinn, and I have to hunt it."

"Okay, um, stop the car."

"I know how it sounds."

"Great. Just... stop the car." Sam muttered, his voice shaking slightly.

"It's the truth, Sam. There are things out there in the dark. There- there are bad things. There are nightmare things. And people have to be saved and if we don't save them, then nobody will." I said.

"Look, I wanna help you, alright. I- I really, really do. But you're having some kind of psychotic breakdown, so, I just-"

"I wish." I scoffed. Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing a number. I rolled down my window, grabbing the phone from his hand, chucking it out onto the road that flew past us before rolling the window up again.

"What the hell was that, Dean? That was my phone!" Sam exclaimed.

"I'm not going to a rubber room, Sammy. We got work to do."

"What? I was just trying to help you out, Dean." Sam said. "I don't- I don't want you to get yourself hurt."

"What? You protect me?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, that's hilarious." I laughed. "Why don't you just sit tight and try not to get us both killed."

Sam glared at me, a tinge of fear in his eyes as he sat uncomfortably, going back to staring out the window.

* * *

After driving for hours, we'd finally made it to the warehouse. I pulled the Impala up in front, shutting the engine off before grabbing my flashlight, shining it on Sam's face as he slept. He jumped up, his eyes wide as he looked around.

"Where are we?"

"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore." I chuckled, my smile fading as Sam stared blankly. "Tori would've laughed. We're in Illinois."

"And you think something's in there?"

"I know it is." I said, getting out of the car.

I heard Sam following behind me. I gave him a flashlight, throwing the bag over my shoulder. We made our way inside the building, heading down the hallway past a few small office buildings.

"Look, Tori's gotta be worried sick about you, Dean. Come on, let- let's just go." Sam muttered from behind me. A sound similar to a low growl echoed through the building and I turned around to see Sam starting int the direction it had come from. "What the hell is that?"

"Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut." I muttered, pushing Sam behind a large crate as footsteps approached us.

The Djinn entered it's eyes flashing blue in the darkness of the room. Sam let out a gasp, catching the Djinn's attention. I quickly pushed Sam into another room, leaning against the wall as the Djinn walked away.

"Holy shit. You're not crazy." Sam exclaimed quietly. I glanced up at the flickering light bulb hanging there, images of myself hanging by my wrists from the ceiling suddenly flashing behind my eyelids. I started gagging, finding it hard to breathe.

"What if- what if I'm tied up in here some place?" I asked, the realization coming over me. "What if all this is in my head?"

"What?"

"What if that's why I keep seeing Tori that way? She's not a spirit. It's like more and more like I'm catching flashes of reality. Like her and I, we're in here somewhere, and I'm- I'm catatonic, and I'm taking all this stuff in but I, but I can't snap out of it."

"Yeah, you're right. I was wrong. You're not crazy but we- we- we need to get out of here. Fast." Sam said, pulling me with him.

I quickly shook my arm out of his grasp, staring over at him. "I don't think you're real."

"Dude, you feel that?" Sam asked, grabbing my arms. "You feel this? I'm real. This is not an acid trip. I'm real, and that thing is gonna come down here and kill us for real. Now, please-"

"There's one way to be sure." I muttered, pull the silver knife out.

"Whoa, whoa. What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"It's an old wives' tale. If you're about to die in a dream, you wake up."

"No, that's crazy. Alright?"

"Maybe." I muttered, looking down.

"You're gonna kill yourself-"

"Or I'm gonna wake up. One or the other."

"Okay. This isn't a dream, alright. I'm here, with you, now. And you're about to kill yourself, Dean." Sam said, looking at me with wide scared eyes.

"No, I'm pretty sure. Like, 90% sure. But I'm sure enough." I said, turning the knife on myself, ready to push it into my stomach.

"Wait!" Sam yelled.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me, looking over my shoulder to see Mom walking up on one side, and Tori on the other.

"Why'd you have to keep digging?" Sam asked. "Why couldn't you have left well enough alone? You were happy."

"Put the knife down, honey." Mom said, stepping in front of me.

"You're not real." I muttered, tears in my eyes. "None of it is."

"It doesn't matter. It's still better than anything you had."

"What?"

"It's everything you want. We're a family again. Let's go home."

"I'll die." I said, my voice breaking. "The Djinn will drain the life out of me in a couple of days."

"But in here, with us, it'll feel like years. Like a lifetime. I promise." She said, stroking my cheek with her fingers. "No more pain. Or fear. Just love and comfort. And safety. Dean, stay with us."

"You don't have to worry about Sam anymore. You get to watch him live a full life." Jessica said.

"Why is it our job to save everyone? Haven't we done enough?" Sam asked. I glanced up at him, watching as Mom took a step back, letting Tori move in front of me.

"Dean, we can have a future together. Have our own family. I love you, Dean. Please." Tori pleaded, looking up at me. "Give me the knife."

As I looked down into her eyes, I saw flashes of Tori hanging from her wrists, her skin pale and unhealthy looking. I shook my head, backing away.

"I'm sorry." I muttered, thrusting the knife into my stomach.

"Dean!" Sam called, shaking me violently. "Oh, god. Come on! Wake up, dammit!" My eyes opened slowly, looking down to see Sam standing in front of me a relieved smile on his face.

"Auntie Em. There's no place like home." I mumbled. Suddenly everything flooded back into my mind and I quickly looked around the room, seeing Tori hanging next to me. "Tori."

"Dean I- I couldn't get her to wake up." Sam said, tears in his eyes.

"But- but you're not supposed to...it's not supposed to happen that fast." I murmured, looking over at her as Sam pulled the tube out of my throat, starting to cut the ropes around my wrists.

Pulling my eyes away from Tori, I looked over Sam's shoulder to see two bright blue eyes glowing in the darkness.

* * *

TPOV

Finally, I shut my eyes tight enough that the images stopped flashing in front of me. After a few moments passed, I cautiously opened then, looking around the room.

There had to be a reason I was getting these visions of Dean. It couldn't just be some sick joke or bad nightmare. Something was wrong, and I had to figure out what.

I tried to think back to the last thing I could remember before I woke up here, though everything suddenly seemed foggy. It was almost as if I knew what had happened, but I couldn't make my brain stick on one thought for too long before it went away.

After wracking my brain, an image of a pair of bright blue eyes flashed through my head, and it was like a floodgate opened, allowing all the memories to come rushing in. Dean and I were attacked.

Everything suddenly made sense now. The Djinn doesn't grant you a wish, it just makes you think it has.

Suddenly, I saw myself tied up, my skin pale and eyes sunken in like Dean had been. I quickly stood up, heading out of the room back downstairs where everyone was.

"Tori, hey. How do you feel?" Dean asked, coming over to my side.

"Fine." I mumbled, staring at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Stop asking me that." I said, grabbing my jacket as I went over to the door. I was about to open it when Dean placed a hand on it. "Dean, move."

"Where are you gonna go this late?"

"Illinois." I said, moving to open the door again. I got it open about an inch when Dean slammed it shut. "Just let me go."

"Why do you want to go there?"

"Because there's Djinn there that I have to kill."

"What?" Dean asked, laughing lightly.

"Victoria, what are you talking about?" Rose asked, taking a small step forward. I turned around, facing everyone in the room, tears forming in my eyes as the realization fully hit me.

"None of this is real."

"What?"

"I know this is all fake! It's all in my head!" I exclaimed, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I'm- I'm dying out there."

"Dying?" Dean asked, gently turning me towards him. "Tori, you're fine."

"Get away from me." I said, slapping his hands off my arms. "You're not real."

"This is crazy. You're going to the doctor." Dean said, ready to drag me to the car.

I quickly pulled out of his grasp, stepping back. "No, I'm not!"

"You're acting nuts."

"I know what I'm talking about."

"Tori, maybe you should just sit down." Jessica muttered.

"Stop! Just stop this! I know it's not real, okay? I know!" I shouted, seeing another image of myself flashed before my eyes, causing me to feel weak. I grabbed onto the banister for support as my knees buckled.

"Tori, why?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "Why did you have to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Why did you have to push it?"

"You're happy here." Rose said. Mary stood next to her, the both of them holding hands. "We're all alive and well, just like you want it to be."

"We're happy." Sam muttered, his arm wrapped around Jessica.

"But this isn't real. It's wrong."

"We're alive, how can that be wrong?" John asked.

"It just- it just is." I said, hearing my heart pounding slowly in my ears. "It's not real."

"Does that matter?" Dean asked, approaching me. "It feels real, doesn't it?"

"But it's not." I mumbled, feeling drowsy. "I'm dying."

"But in here, it'll feel like years." Dean said. "And we can finally have a family. We can have a peaceful life. The life you always wanted. You won't have to worry about anything."

"No." I shook my head, feeling my knees give out from under me. I landed on the floor, leaning against the banister as I pulled in a ragged breath, looking down at my hands to see them paling.

* * *

DPOV

The Djinn ran out from the shadows and Sam quickly turned around, going at it with the knife. But it was no use, the Djinn quickly grabbed him, holding him by the throat. I frantically tried to pull myself loose from the rope Sam had begun cutting, looking over at Tori to see that she was getting paler by the second.

Sam struggled against the Djinn's hold as it held it's palm up, a blue light starting to glow from it, turning Sam's eyes the same shade. In the last second, I broke free of the ropes, rushing over to grab the knife, plunging it into the Djinn's back. The blue light faded from it's eyes and it fell to the ground at my feet.

Ignoring how weak I felt, I hurried back over to Tori with Sam, holding her up as he cut the rope. She fell limply into my arms and I sat down on the ground, cradling her.

"Tori?" I called, smoothing her hair back. "Tori, baby?" She didn't respond, she just laid there, dark purple bruises underneath her eyes, her lips dry and chapped. I placed my fingers on her neck, feeling a weak pulse there. "Tori!"

"Dean?" Sam muttered, his eyes full of tears. "After the hospital...she was weak, this was-"

"No, she's- she's got a pulse!" I exclaimed, gently laying her flat on the ground, tears forming in my eyes as I stared down at her.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Dean!" Sam shouted in warning. I looked behind me, seeing that the Djinn had gotten back up, walking over to us. It tried to grab me, but I quickly dodged it, struggling with it as it hovered over me.

I slid the knife over to Sam, who quickly dipped it in the lambs blood, something I hadn't done in my haste to help him, and rushed back over while the Djinn was distracted, thrusting the knife in it's back. I rolled out of the way as the Djinn fell to the ground, not getting up this time.

Suddenly, Tori started gagging and I quickly went over to her side, lifting her head up as her eyes drifted open. "Dean?"

"I'm here." I smiled, holding her.

"For real?"

"Yeah, for real." I nodded, watching a small smile spread across her cracked lips.

* * *

 **MOTEL – DAY  
** TPOV

It felt as though I was barely there during the ride back to the motel, lying in the backseat with my head on Dean's lap. Once we made it back, I started to feel a little bit better, taking small sips of water with Dean lying next to me on the bed.

Sam had gone out to get us some food, leaving the two of us alone.

"What happened exactly?" I asked, looking over at Dean.

"Mom was alive. Jessica was alive. Dad was still gone. You were a nurse. Sam hated my guts." Dean rattled off, taking a swig of beer.

"That's it, huh?" I asked sarcastically.

"Pretty much." Dean nodded. "What about you?"

"We were married."

"Really?" Dean asked, not freaking out like I thought he would.

"Yeah."

"That's what you wish for? To be married to little old me?"

"I guess." I laughed, glancing over at him. "Everyone was there."

" _Everyone_?"

"Yeah. Rose, Peter, Jessica, John. Even Mary."

"Wow." Dean sighed.

"I have a lot of wishes." I mumbled. "There was something else."

"What?"

"I was, uh, well- I was pregnant." I said, watching his reaction closely. His eyes widened for a moment before looking over at me.

"Funny."

"Why?"

"You were pregnant in mine, too." Dean muttered. I was a completely shocked, but a part of me felt content knowing that. So, instead of saying anything, I just smiled, feeling him take my hand in his as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Was it hard to leave?"

"Yeah."

"But if you didn't you would have..." I trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"I know." Dean nodded. "What about you? Was it hard?"

"Well, I didn't really get the choice. When you killed the Djinn, I woke up."

"Say you _did_ get the choice..."

"I didn't want to stay." I said, looking up at him. "It just wasn't right. I knew something was wrong. I kept- I kept seeing you."

"I kept seeing you, too."

Just then Sam came back, bags of food in his hands. "Hey, how are you guys feeling?"

"Alright."

After placing the bags on the table, Sam came over, sitting at the foot of the bed. "So, you guys feeling better being in the real world?"

"You should have seen it, Sam." Dean said. "You were such a wussy."

Sam chuckled. "So we didn't get along then, huh?"

"Nah."

"I thought it was supposed to- to be this perfect fantasy."

"It wasn't. It was just a wish."

"Well, I'm glad you dug yourself out, Dean. Most people wouldn't have had the strength, they would have just stayed." Sam said. I brought Dean's arm up to my chest, holding it tightly.

Sam was right, Dean was amazingly strong. If he didn't do what he did, he would have died.

"Yeah...lucky me." Dean sighed, glancing down at me. "You know, ever since Dad...all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've sacrificed so much."

"But people are alive because of you." Sam said, to which Dean scoffed. "It's worth it, Dean. It is. It's not fair, and...you know, it hurts like hell, but...it's worth it."

I thought about what both Sam and Dean said, letting their words play over and over again in my head.

After living in that _perfect world,_ I realized something. I didn't want it. I didn't want to live in a dream for the rest of my life. In some weird way, I loved our life the way it was. And even though I did wish I could make changes, even though I wished the people we loved still lived, I didn't want to give it up.

What we did, it _was_ important. And even though we seemed to lose everything to save somebody else, we hadn't lost each other.

* * *

 **That. Took. Forever. To. Write.** **I had no idea this chapter was going to be so difficult!**

 **Just a small warning, it may take some time for All Hell Breaks Loose to be posted because I want to put up part one and two together so you don't have to wait and I have to write them both first!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Leave some reviews or privates messages and let me know what you think!**

 **Twitter: phoenixfire779  
Instagram: phoenixfirefanfiction **


	22. All Hell Breaks Loose Part I

**Hi guys! I usually never say this, but I strongly recommend that you make yourself a little playlist and listen to** ** _Fire Fire_** **by** ** _Flyleaf_** **and** ** _Into The Nothing_** **by** ** _Breaking Benjamin_** **while reading these last two chapters!**

 **Hope you like it!**

* * *

 _Almost thought we'd made it home  
But we don't know this place at all  
That's enough now, dry your tears  
It's been a long eleven years  
_… _.._

 _You're ashamed of where your from  
Crying 'cause your father's drunk  
We can't die because we're young  
At least that's what we heard in a song  
_…

 _You're ashamed of what you've done  
Crying 'cause your father's wrong  
Trying to be something new  
You feel that you have something to prove  
_

 _What you confused for glory's fire  
Is fire from the tongues of liars  
What you confused for glory's fire  
Is fire from the tongues of liars  
_

 _(Oh, send your rain)  
Fire, fire, fire  
Fire from the tongues of the liars  
(Oh, send your rain)  
Fire, fire, fire  
Fire from the tongues of liars  
(Oh, send your rain)  
Fire, fire, fire  
Fire from the tongues of liars  
(Oh, send your rain)  
Fire, fire, fire  
Fire from the tongues of liars_

 _You're afraid of who you are  
(You're ashamed of where you're from)  
Crying 'cause your father's gone  
(Fire from the tongues of liars)  
Dreaming 'til you hit the truth  
(We can't die because we're young)  
You'll find that you've nothing to lose  
(Fire from the tongues of liars)  
You'll find that you've nothing to prove_

 _ **Flyleaf – Fire Fire**_

* * *

After getting a few more days of rest back in Illinois, we had been driving pretty much nonstop since then and decided to stop at a small roadside diner for some dinner before staring all over again. I wasn't exactly sure where we were going, but it didn't matter. We were actually having a pretty good time.

"Hey, don't forget the extra onions this time, huh?" Dean said, handing Sam some money.

"Hey, I'm the one who has to kiss those extra onions, remember?" I teased, leaning on the back of the front seat.

"You love me anyway."

"I'm helpless." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. I glanced up at the small diner, a strange feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. "You know Sam, I think I'll go with you."

"No, it's okay." Sam muttered, glancing back at me. "You need to rest-"

"Sam, I don't need rest. I'm fine."

"I got it." Sam said, getting out of the car with a sigh.

"Hey, bring me some pie!" Dean called. Sam glared at him, slamming the door. "I love me some pie."

"I think I'm gonna go with him."

"Tor, he's okay." Dean said, glancing back at me, noticing the look on my face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." I mumbled, watching Sam enter the diner, talking to a waiter. "I'm going."

Without waiting for Dean's response, I got out of the car, leaving the door open as I went. I'd barley even gotten half way to the door when I heard the static coming from the radio back in the car. I glanced back at the door, a strong nauseous feeling hitting me suddenly, nearly knocking me onto the ground. I held my stomach, looking back to the diner to see that it was now empty.

"Sam!" I screamed, knowing deep inside that something was wrong. I heard Dean running up behind me, telling me to wait as I bolted into the diner.

As I entered, I saw a man in one of the booths, face down in a puddle of blood. I kept moving through the small isle between the booths and the counter, seeing a few employees behind it, their throats slit.

"Sam?" Dean called, opening the back door, looking around behind the building.

"He's not here. He's gone." I said, watching Dean as he came back inside, noticing something on the door. "What?"

"Sulfur."

* * *

 **ABANDONED TOWN – DAY  
** SPOV

After checking my phone to see that there was no reception, I started to walk around the town, still trying to remember how the hell I got here. The last thing I remembered was going into that diner, smelling sulfur, then nothing.

Passing by another seemingly locked building, I heard a creaking noising coming from inside, picking up a stray plank of wood as I approached the sound. Suddenly, Andy's head popped out, his eyes going wide when he saw me standing there.

"Andy?"

"Sam! What are you doing here?"

"I don't know."

"What am I doing here?!"

"I don't know."

"Where are we?!" He asked, getting hysterical.

"Andy, look, calm down."

"I can't calm down! I just woke up in freaking Frontierland!"

"What's the last thing you remember?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

"Honestly? My fourth bong load. It was weird. All of a sudden, there was this really intense smell. Like, uh-"

"Like sulfur?"

"How did you know that?" Andy asked.

"Just a guess."

"Your brother and sister, are they here?"

"I don't know where they are." I muttered. "I don't know if they're-"

Suddenly, the sound of a woman screaming echoed in the distance. Only a few buildings down, I could see the outline of a woman through a frosted window on the door that she was banging.

"Help me! Help me, please!"

"Okay, I'm here. We're gonna get you out, alright? Just hold on a second." I said, looking around for something to break the lock with.

"Please!"

"Alright, one second." I spotted a large rock on the ground, picking it up, smashing the padlock on the door. I unlocked the door, my eyes widening at who I saw standing in front of me. "Ava?"

"Oh my God! Sam!" She cried, hugging me tightly.

"So, I guess you guys know each other." Andy muttered.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"How did you- I mean, how did you-" Ava stuttered, finally pulling back.

"Ava, have you been here this whole time?"

"What whole time? I just woke up in there, like, a half an hour ago."

"Well, you've been gone for five months. We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Okay, that's impossible, because I saw you two days ago." She said.

"You didn't. I'm sorry."

"But… that makes no sense. That's not-" She paused, her eyes widening. "Oh my God! My fiancée, Brady! If I've been missing for that long, he must be freaking out!"

"Well…" I muttered, not wanting to tell her the truth about Brady.

"Hey. Andy." He introduced himself. "Also freaking out."

"Okay." Ava nodded, looking back to me. "What's happening?

"I, uh, I don't really know yet. But I know one thing. I know what the three of us have in common." I said.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Another voice called.

"Maybe more than three." I muttered, walking around the corner of the building as another guy and a girl waked out.

"Hey, you guys alright?"

"I think so." He nodded.

"I'm Sam."

"I'm Jake."

"Lily." She mumbled.

"Are there any more of you?"

"No." Jake replied.

"How did we even get here? A minute ago, I was in San Diego." Lily said.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I went to sleep last night in Afghanistan."

"Let me take a wild guess: you two are both twenty-three?" I asked, watching them both nod. "We all are. And we all have abilities."

"What?"

"It started a little over a year ago? You found you could do things? Things you didn't think were possible?" I asked, to which they nodded, again. "I have visions. I see things before they happen."

"Yeah. Me, too." Ava chimed in.

"Yeah, and I can put thoughts into people's heads. Like, make them do stuff. But don't worry, it, I don't think it works on you guys. Oh, but get this –- I've been practicing." Andy said, nudging my arm. "Training my brain, like meditation. So now, it's not just thoughts I can beam out, but images, too. Like, anything I want. Bam! People, they see it. This one guy I know – total dick, right? I used it on him. Gay porn. All hours of the day. It was just like…you should have seen the look on his face."

"Thanks." Ava mumbled.

"So, you go, _Simon says give me your wallet_ , and they do?" Lily asked, glancing over at me. "You have visions? That's great! I'd kill for something like that."

"Lily, listen, it's okay-"

"No. It's not." She said, stopping me. "I touch people? Their hearts stop. I can barely leave my house. My life's not exactly improved. So, screw you. I just wanna go home."

"And what, we don't?" Jake asked.

"You know what, don't talk to me like that, not right-"

"Hey, guys, please. Look, whether we like it or not, we're all here, and so we all have to deal with this." I said.

"Who brought us here?" Andy asked.

"It's less of a _who_. It's...more of a _what_."

"What does that mean?" Ava asked.

"It's a...it's a demon." I said, glancing up to see them all staring at me like I was crazy.

* * *

 **HIGHWAY – DAY  
** TPOV

After we'd left the diner, I called Bobby, who told us to stay where we were, that he would meet us there. So now, we were waiting on the side of the road, looking over various maps with circles and lines scribbled on them.

Needless to say, I was a little bit discouraged. I knew Dean was just as frustrated as me. As far as we were concerned, this wasn't doing anything to get Sam back.

"This is it. All demonic signs and omens over the past month." Bobby muttered.

"Are you joking? There's nothing here." Dean said.

"Exactly."

"What about the- the normal, low-level stuff? You know, exorcisms, that kind of thing."

"That's what I'm telling you, there's nothing. It's completely quiet."

"What are we supposed to do then?" I asked, standing up out of the passenger seat of the Impala. "Close our eyes and point?"

"Vic, we're doing all we can."

"That's not enough. I felt something back there, Bobby. And it was bad. Really, really bad." I said, watching Dean look back down to the map, not wanting to show me how worried he really was.

Just then, Dean's phone rang and he picked it up, looking a little disappointed when he read the number. "Ash, what do you got?"

" _Okay, listen, it's a big negatory on Sam-_ " Ash mumbled over the speakerphone.

"Oh, come on, man! You've gotta give us something. We're looking at a three thousand-mile haystack here."

" _Listen, Dean. I did find something._ "

"What is it?" I asked, walking over to Dean's side.

" _Oh, hey little lady!_ " Ash said, a smile in his voice. " _I didn't know you were there-_ "

"Ash, please!" I exclaimed. "What did you find?"

" _I can't talk over this line._ "

"Come on, I don't have time for this!" Dean huffed.

" _Make time, okay? Because this- what's up? What's going on?_ " Ash said, leaning away from the phone for a moment. " _Not only does this almost definitely help you find your brother, this is- it's huge. So get here. Now._ "

"I guess we're going to the Roadhouse." Dean sighed, shoving the phone back in his pocket, heading around to the driver side of the Impala. "Come on."

I stayed out by Bobby for a second as he picked up the maps, stuffing them into a bag. "So, when you say you felt something bad-"

"Bobby, I'd only felt that way one other time in my life."

"When?"

"Back in Iowa. With- with the yellow-eyed demon." I said. "You know, when we stopped him from doing whatever to that kid, killing the mom?"

"Yeah." Bobby nodded.

"Why do you think that happened?"

"What?"

"That I can...sense demons."

"You were possessed." Bobby shrugged. "That probably has something to do with it."

"Yeah." I sighed, heading back to the Impala with him.

I just hoped that wherever Sam was, he was safe and not in any danger. Though I knew it was a little naive of me to think that way, I could help it. I had to hold out some kind of hope.

* * *

 **ABANDONED TOWN – DAY  
** SPOV

"So, we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocalypse?" Jake asked after I'd tried to explain everything to them in the best of my ability.

"When you put it like that-"

"And, and we've been picked?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Why us?"

I'm not sure, okay? But look, I just know-"

"Sam, I'm sorry. Psychics and spoon-bending is one thing, but _demons_?" Ava asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"It doesn't just sound it." Jake muttered.

"I don't really care what you think, okay?" I said, shaking my head. "If we're all gathered here together, then that means it's starting and that we've gotta-"

"The only thing I've gotta do is stay away from wackjobs, okay? I've heard enough. I'm better off on my own. FYI, so are you." Jake said, starting to walk away.

"Jake, hold on. Jake!" I called as he ignored me walking away. I glanced back at everyone else, following Jake as he went.

I hid behind one of the buildings as Jake suddenly, stopped, staring into an empty school room. I went after him as he went inside, hearing a little girl giggle in the distance.

"Hello?" Jake called. "It's alright. Don't be scared. Are you lost? Hello?"

An ear piercing screech came from the chalkboard hanging on the wall, the words _I will not kill_ written over and over again. A small blonde girl appeared in the middle of the room, her nails growing into sharp claws as she advanced towards him.

"Get back!"

I ran into the building, grabbing the iron poker I saw lying on the ground, hitting the girl with it. She dissolved into a cloud of smoke just as Ava, Andy and Lily ran in.

"Just so you know? That was a demon." I said, exiting the building. "Now, that thing- I'm not sure, but I think it was an Acheri. A demon that disguises itself as a little girl. That still doesn't tell us where we are. Andy, are you with me or what?"

"Give me a minute. I'm still working through, _demons are real_." Andy muttered, keeping up his pace to walk next to me as I led the small group through the town. In front of one of the buildings was a large, rusty bell hanging from the top of it.

"I've seen that bell before. I think I know where we are now." I said, glancing back at them "Cold Oak, South Dakota. A town so haunted, every single resident fled."

"Swell. Good to know we're somewhere so historical."

"Why in the world would that demon or whatever put us here?" Lily asked.

"I'm wondering the same thing." I muttered.

"You know what? It doesn't matter. Clearly, the only sane thing to do here is get the hell out of Dodge."

"Wait, hold on. Lily, the only way out is through miles of woods."

"Beats hanging out with demons." She shrugged, turning towards the treeline.

"Lily, look, we don't know what's going on yet. I mean, we don't even know how many of them are out there right now."

"Yeah, he's right." Jake nodded. "We should-"

"Don't say _we_!" She exclaimed. "I'm not part of _we_. I have nothing in common with any of you."

"Okay, look, I know-"

"You don't know anything!" Lily shouted, tears springing to her eyes. "I accidentally touched my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry." I muttered.

"Whatever. I feel like I'm in a nightmare, and it just keeps getting worse and worse."

"I've lost people, too. I have family out there right now that could be dead, for all I know." I said, trying my hardest not to think about how true that could actually be. "We're all in bad shape. But I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together."

"Fine." Lily sighed.

"We're looking for iron, silver, salt –- any kind of weapon." I told them as we started walking again.

"Salt is a weapon?" Jake asked.

"It's a brave new world."

"Well, hopefully there's food in your world, because I'm fucking starving." Any mumbled as we entered into another building to look for supplies.

* * *

 **ROADHOUSE – DAY  
** TPOV

As the Impala sped down the street to the roadhouse, I smelled the strong scent of burning wood in the air, rolling the window down to let more air in. The air whipped around me in the backseat, my nausea hitting me like a ton of bricks.

"Do you smell that?" I asked, looking over at Dean and Bobby in the front seat.

"Smells like a fire." Bobby replied.

Just then, Dean turned the corner near the roadhouse and my heart dropped as I took in what remained of the burned down building.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered. The car barely even rolled to a stop before I got out, running over to the debris.

"Ellen!" I called, frantically looking around. "Ash!"

When I didn't hear a response, I immediately feared the worst, a part of me not even wanting to look anymore out of fear of seeing their bodies. There was nothing left, they couldn't have made it out alive.

"I'm sure- I'm sure they got out." Dean said, walking up behind me.

"I hope."

Dean glanced at the ground, bending down to take a closer look at something. I watched as he pulled on a watch, my eyes widening as he pulled up Ash's burnt corpse along with it.

* * *

 **COLD OAK, SOUTH DAKOTA – DAY  
** SPOV

After a bit of searching through some abandoned houses, I hadn't found much. Only a knife that I made sure to keep with me.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked Ava, who was massaging her temples.

"Yeah, I'm just- I don't know, a little dizzy."

"Are you sure it's not some kind of-"

"What? Some kind of freaky vision thing?" She asked, shaking her head. "No, more like I'd kill for a sandwich. I haven't eaten since…well, who knows? No, don't worry. I'm fine. Except for every single thing that's happening."

"You guys! I found something!" Andy called from the other room. Ava and I headed in there, finding him holding up two bags as he stood next to Jake. "Salt!"

"That's great, Andy. Now, we all can-" I paused, looking around the room. "Where's Lily?"

"I don't know." Ava said.

"Lily!" I called, rushing out to the front porch of the house.

The same giggle from before echoed through the town, calling us outside. Across the way, hanging at the top of a water tower was Lily, a rope tied around her neck.

"Oh, my God! Okay, that's officially- Sam, she's dead!" Ava exclaimed. "She's dead! You said we were chosen for a reason. That is not chosen! That's killed!

"Stop." I said, trying to keep her quiet.

"Okay, we have to get out of here."

"Yeah, I second that emotion." Andy muttered, his voice shaking.

"Not sure that's an option." Jake said.

"What?"

"Lily was trying to leave. The demon's not gonna let us get away that easy." I explained. "We've gotta gear up for the next attack.

"Oh, _gear up_?" Ava asked sarcastically.

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, I'm not a soldier. I can't do that!"

"Well, if you wanna stay alive, you're gonna have to. Let's go."

"I'll get her down." Jake said.

"You know, I was just thinking about how much Dean and Tori would help right now. I'd give my arm for a working phone." I muttered.

"You know, you may not need one." Andy said, walking over to my side. "I've never tried it long-distance before, but do you have anything of their's on you? Like, something one of them touched?"

"Uh…" I paused, searching my pockets, pulling out a piece of paper. "I've got a receipt. Would that work?"

"Yeah." Andy nodded, looking down at the signature with a raised eyebrow. " _D. Hasselhoff_?"

"Yeah, that's Dean's signature." I said, shrugging. "It's hard to explain."

"Alright." Andy said, holding the paper between his fingers as he closed his eyes, looking as through he was concentrating extremely hard.

* * *

 **ROADHOUSE – DAY  
** TPOV

After searching some more and coming up empty, we headed back to the Impala. I sat on the hood, staring off at crumbled remains of the Roadhouse. I couldn't believe it was gone. And Ash. God, I really did like that weirdo.

"This is…" Bobby trailed off, shaking his head.

"What the hell did Ash know?" Dean asked, leaning next to my knees.

"Enough that they killed him." I muttered. "I just can't imagine what."

"Now we've got no way of knowing where Ellen is. Or if she's even alive. We've got no clue what Ash was gonna tell us. Now, how the hell are we gonna find Sam?"

"We'll find him." Bobby said. Suddenly Dean clutched his head, doubling over.

"Dean? What's wrong?" I asked, trying to hold him steady.

"What was that?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know. A headache?" Dean said, straightening up.

"That seemed like more than a headache, Dean."

"Must be the stress. I could have sworn I saw something."

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked. "Like a vision? Like what Sam gets?"

"What? No!"

"I'm just saying."

"Come on, I'm not some psychic." Dean laughed it off. I hopped down from the hood, watching him cautiously as he made he way around the front of the car, suddenly falling against it, groaning out in pain.

"Dean!" I called, Bobby and I trying to hold him upright. "Dean, baby, what's wrong?"

"Are you with us?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Dean nodded, his eyes darting between Bobby and I. "I saw Sam. I saw him."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"It _was_ a vision." Bobby said.

"Yeah. I don't know how, but yeah." Dean muttered, letting out a breath of air. "That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."

"What else did you see?"

"Well, there was a bell."

"What kind of bell?"

"Like a big bell with some kind of engraving on it, I don't know."

"Was it a tree? Like, an oak tree?"

"Yeah, exactly." Dean nodded as Bobby's eyes lit up.

"I know where Sam is."

* * *

 **COLD OAK, SOUTH DAKOTA – NIGHT  
** SPOV

After Jake had gotten Lily down, he and I headed over to a barn, trying to collect some iron bars from the machines in there. Andy had no way of knowing if his message had gotten through or not, but I could only hope that if Dean was aright, it did.

As I struggled to pull one of the iron bars off, Jake did it with no problem. I glanced over at him, eyes wide.

"I'm not Superman or anything. It's no big deal." He shrugged.

"You were in Afghanistan when this started?"

"Yeah, I started getting headaches. And then there was this accident. This guy flipped his vehicle on a bad road. He got pinned underneath. I lifted it off him like it was nothing. Everybody said it was a fluke adrenaline thing."

"But then you did it again, right?"

"Bench-pressed eight-hundred pounds, stone-cold calm. I never told anybody, of course. It was just too crazy."

"Yeah." I sighed. "Crazy's relative."

"I'm starting to get that." Jake muttered, glancing over at me. "By the way, I appreciate what you're doing here."

I stared at him for a moment, confused. "What am I doing?"

"Keeping calm. Keeping _them_ calm. Especially considering how freaked to hell you really are. I've been in some deep crap before myself. I know the look."

"You wanna know the truth?" I asked, pausing a moment. "My brother and sister, they're always telling me how they're gonna watch out for me, how everything's gonna be okay. You know, kind of like I've been telling them."

"Yeah?"

"I don't know if I believe it this time. I mean, the size of what's coming – it's bigger than anyone has ever seen. I mean, it's gonna get bad. And I don't know if-"

"If we're gonna make it?" Jake asked, looking me in the eyes. "It doesn't matter if we believe it. Only matters that they do." I watched after him as he left, trailing along back to the house after a moment. If what he said was true, then the way Dean and Tori believed should keep us all safe forever.

* * *

Once we made it back to the house, Ava and I started lining the doors and windows with salt, trying to do anything we can to keep safe.

"My horoscope said I shouldn't have gotten out of bed." Ava scoffed. "How you doing? Holding up?"

"I'm okay." I shrugged. "What about you?"

"Not so okay. Why us, Sam? What did we do to deserve this?"

"Just lucky, I guess."

"If it wasn't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all. I just can't wait for this all to be over so I can just pretend it never happened. I just wanna curl up with Brady and watch bad TV." Ava said. I looked down, hoping she wouldn't noticed the look in my eyes. But she did anyway. "What is it? Sam, do you know something that I don't?"

"Look, Ava…I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to tell you this."

"Tell me what?"

"When the demon broke into your house to take you, your fiancée didn't make it. I'm sorry."

"No, that's…no!" Ava exclaimed, tears starting to pour down her cheeks. I quickly pulled her to me, holding her as she sobbed.

* * *

After the sun had fully set, we all collected into one room, sitting out silently. I struggled to stay awake in the darkness of the room, snapping my eyes open every time they shut. They shut again, and when I opened them, the yellow-eyed demon was standing in the corner of the room behind Jake.

"Jake! Behind you!" I shouted. Jake didn't budge, not hearing me.

"Howdy, Sam." Yellow-eyes muttered.

"I'm dreaming."

"What do you say you and I take a little walk?" He asked.

Almost as if I couldn't stop myself, I got up, walking outside into the cold night air with him. I couldn't believe this was happening. After all these years, he was right here and there was nothing I could do about it.

"You're awfully quiet, Sam. You're not mad at me, are you?"

"I'm gonna tear you to shreds, I swear to-"

Yellow-eyes chucked, shaking his head. "When you wake up, tiger, you give it your best shot."

"Where's my family?"

"Quit worrying about them. I'd worry more about yourself."

"Why?" I asked. "You gonna kill me?"

"I'm trying to help you. That's why we're talking. You're the one I'm rooting for."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Welcome to the _Miss America pageant_. Why do you think you're here? This is a competition. Only one of you crazy kids is gonna make it out of here alive."

"I thought we were supposed to be-"

"Soldiers in a coming war?" He finished. "That's true. You are. But here's the thing. I don't need soldiers. I need _soldier_. I just need the one."

"Why?"

"Well, I couldn't just come out and say that, could I, Sam? I had to let everyone think they had a fighting chance. But what I need..is a leader."

"To lead who?"

"Oh, I've already got my army. Or, I will soon, anyway."

"You son of a bitch." I spat.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you hadn't guessed. I mean, why do you think so many children flamed out already? Max Miller and Andy's brother, what's-his-name? They weren't strong enough. I'm looking for the best and brightest of your generation."

"My generation?"

"Well, there's other generations, but let's just worry about yours. That's why I'm here, Sam. I wanna give you the inside track. You're tough. You're smart. You're well-trained, thanks to your daddy. Sam – Sammy – you're my favorite." He smiled sickeningly.

"You ruined my life. You killed everyone I love."

"The cost of doing business, I'm afraid." He shrugged. "I mean, sweet little Jessica – she just had to die. You were all set to marry that little blonde thing, become a tax lawyer with two kids, a beer gut, and a little McMansion in the suburbs. I needed you sharp, on the road, honing your skills. Your gifts."

"What about my mom?" I asked, fighting back tears as he spoke about Jessica.

"That was bad luck." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

" _Bad luck?_ "

"She walked in on us. Wrong place, wrong time."

"What does that mean?"

"It wasn't about her. It was about you. It's always been about you."

"What?" I asked, watching him as he watched me for a long moment.

"Well…okay. You caught me in a charitable mood. I'll show you." He muttered, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, we were back in my nursery. "Look familiar? It should."

I heard the wails of a baby crying, looking down into the crib to see myself as a baby, staring up at the demon with wide, scared eyes. The door creaked open and Mom walked in, stopping when she saw the figure standing over me.

"John?"

"Mom!" I called, trying to get her attention, even though I knew she couldn't hear me.

"Is he hungry?" She asked, being shushed by the demon that was standing over me. "Okay."

"Wait, Mom!"

"What did I just tell you, Sam? She can't hear you. This isn't real." Yellow-eyed said.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" I asked, watching as he sliced his wrist with one of his nails, dripping blood into my mouth.

"Better than mother's milk."

"Does this mean I have demon blood in me?" I asked, a sick feeling flowing into my stomach at the thought. "Answer me!"

Just then, Mom rushed back into the room, her eyes widening when the demon turned towards her, revealing his eyes.

"It's you." She breathed.

"She knew you."

Mom walked closer until the demon forced her up against the wall with a flick of his wrist. She struggled, sliding up the wall until she reached the ceiling.

"No!" I shouted, watching in horror.

"I don't think you wanna see the rest of this." Yellow-eyes muttered, grinning at me. "Perfect timing. I think I'll go pay your sister a visit."

"What?" I asked, walking towards him. "Leave her alone!"

He chuckled, snapping his fingers and waking me up from the dream.

"Sam, wake up!" Jake yelled, shaking me. "Ava's missing."

We quickly ran outside, splitting up to look for her. As I passed one of the houses, I heard screams coming from inside and ran in to find Ava crying, pointing at Andy's body that laid lifeless on the floor.

"Sam! I just found him like this!"

"What happened?" I asked, looking over at her.

"I don't know!"

"How'd that thing get in? Where were you?"

"I just went to get some water from the well." She said. "I was only gone maybe, like, two minutes!"

"You shouldn't have gone outside. Ava, we have to stay in here-" I stopped, noticing the break in the line of salt in front of the now open window. "Who did that?"

"I don't know, maybe Andy-"

"Andy wouldn't do that. Ava, that line wasn't broken when I left."

"What? You don't think that I-"

"I'll tell you what I think. Five months. You're the only one with all that time you can't account for." I said. "And that headache you got? Right when the demon got Lily."

"What are you trying to say?" Ava asked, folding her arms.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing!" She exclaimed. I stared at her for a moment, watching as she rolled her eyes, laughing. "Had you going though, didn't I? Yeah. I've been here a long time. And not alone, either. People just keep showing up. Children, like us. Batches of three or four at a time."

"You killed them? All of them?"

"I'm the undefeated heavyweight champ."

"Oh, my God."

"Don't think God has much to do with this, Sam." She muttered.

"How could you?"

"I had no choice. It's me or them. After a while, it was easy. It was even kind of fun. I just stopped fighting it." She shrugged.

"Fighting what?"

"Who we are, Sam. If you'd just quit your hand-wringing and open yourself up, you have no idea what you can do. The learning curve is so fast, it's crazy, the switches that just flip in your brain." She laughed. "I can't believe I started out just having dreams. Do you know what I can do now?"

"Control demons." I mumbled, putting it all together.

"Ah, you are quick on the draw.." She sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, Sam. But, it's over."

A cloud of black smoke flew over to the window and just as it was about to enter the house, Jake appeared, twisting Ava's neck, breaking it.

* * *

 **ROAD – NIGHT  
** TPOV

The car was quiet as it drove down the long road, neither one of us speaking a word since we'd left the roadhouse. I was nervous, not knowing what to expect when we got to Cold Oak. Everything I'd been through told me to expect the worst, but I was trying my hardest to not think that way.

Even though I hadn't been tired a few moments ago, my eyes stared to drift shut until I fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of a parking lot, much like other nightmares I had. But this one, it was different. There was an even more desolate feeling in the air around me. The building grew from a motel to set of large, empty buildings. A sign appeared over in front of a treeline reading, _Welcome to Cold Oak._

My stomach churned as I stood, looking around the seemingly abandoned place.

"You can try to stop this." A voice echoed around me, piercing my ears. "But it won't work."

"Stop." I muttered, covering my ears as the voice boomed.

"You'll never save him."

"Shut up!"

"Now, now, Victoria." The voice muttered, much closer this time. I turned around, my eyes widening when I saw Yellow-eyed standing behind me. I quickly started backing away from him, but every step I took, he kept in stride with me.

"It's you."

"It's me." He smiled.

"You- you've been the one making me have all these nightmares?"

"Well, you head's already so screwed up, I didn't have to do much. But yes."

"Why?"

"Because I need you to be scared." He hissed, staring straight into my eyes. "I usually don't fuck with Hellhounds, they're beneath me. But they scare you. Just like the thought of Dean dying. Or Sam."

"Where is Sam?"

"What makes you think I know?"

"Where is Sam?" I repeated through gritted teeth. "Where is he?"

"He's fine. Fighting for his life, like always. In fact, I just got finished having a nice little chat-"

"He's alive?"

"...for now."

" _Fighting for his life, w_ hat are you doing to him?" I asked, my heart racing.

"You'll find out in due time."

"Bullshit. I want to know now."

"You know, you're brave." He smiled. "Most people would cower in my presence. But not you. You're special."

"Am I?"

"Very. You don't know how much."

A thought crossed my mind and I stopped moving, staring up into his bright yellow eyes. "Then take me instead."

"What?" He asked, clearly surprised by my proposition.

"If I'm so damn special, let Sam go and take me."

"Your life for Sam's...now that is a very temping offer." He smiled, pulling me up against him by the waist. I cringed, not looking away as he stared down at me, stroking my cheek with his finger. "But I'm afraid I just can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because you weren't made for what Sam needs to do."

"Maybe your wrong."

"I'm not." He said, taking a step back. "You'll see."

I woke with a start, pulling in a deep shallow breath. Dean and Bobby looked back at me, concern in their faces.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"Where are we?"

"Cold Oak." Bobby replied.

"We have to go! Now!" I exclaimed, jumping out of the car. I paused for a second, seeing the same _Welcome to Cold Oak_ sign I'd seen in my dream sitting at the edge of the woods.

"Tori, what happened?" Dean asked, following me to the trunk as I opened it, ripping out weapon after weapon.

"The demon – Yellow-eyes – he has Sam. He's doing all this!"

Dean stared at me for a moment, a blank look on his face. "H- how do you know that?"

"Because, Dean, he just spoke to me in a dream." I said, glancing over at him. "Who the fuck cares? We have to go! Sam's in danger!"

* * *

SPOV 

Jake and I made our way out of the house, back to walking through the dark streets of the town.

"I think we can make it out of here now." I said.

"But the Acheri demon…"

"No, Ava was summoning it, controlling it. It shouldn't come back now that she's dead. We gotta go." I said, walking a few feet ahead of him.

"Not _we_ , Sam. Only one of us is getting out of here." Jake muttered, stopping me dead in my tracks. "I- I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I had a vision. That Yellow-Eyed Demon or whatever it was, he talked to me. He told me how it was."

"No, Jake, listen. You can't listen to him." I said, taking a few cautious steps back over to him. I had to be able to talk him out of this.

"Sam, he's not letting us go. Only one. Now, if we don't play along, he'll kill us both. Now, I- I like you, man. I do. But do the math here. What good's it do for both of us to die? Now, I can get out of here. I get close to the demon, I can kill the bastard."

"You come with me, we can kill him together."

"How do I know you won't turn on me?"

"I won't."

"I don't know that."

"Okay, look." I said, pulling out the knife, placing it on the ground. "Just come with me, Jake. Don't do this. Don't play into what it wants." After a small pause, Jake placed his weapon on the ground in front of him. "Okay."

Suddenly, Jake punched me, sending me flying across the field, slamming hard onto the ground. I watched as Jake stalked over to me, trying to regain the wind that was knocked out of me. Jake tried to kick me in the stomach, but I quickly moved out of the way, knocking him to the ground.

He threw a few more punches, but I finally got the upper hand, landing a few off my own until he hit me in the shoulder. I flew backwards, hearing the bones crack under the pressure of his fist. I got up again, trying to ignore the pain as Jake swung. I ducked out of the way, causing Jake's arm to get stuck into a wooden railing.

While he was stuck there, I kneed him in the stomach several times, knocking him to the ground. As Jake laid there winded, I picked up an iron bar, knocking him out with it. I approached him cautiously, lifting the bar to strike again.

If I did this, I would be no better than the rest of them.

With a sigh, I threw the bar down to the ground. In the distance, I heard what sounded like Dean and Tori calling for me and turned towards their voices just as a few flashlights shined through the treeline.

* * *

TPOV 

The three of us made our way through the woods, calling Sam as we went. After a while, we came to what appeared to be a break in the treeline.

"Sam!" Dean called.

As we walked approached an open field, a relieved feeling feel over me as I saw Sam standing there, staggering over to us, clearly injured.

"Guys!" Sam called, his voice full of happiness. In the darkness behind Sam, I saw a man stand up, walking over to him.

"Sam!" I screamed, pushing myself to run faster. Just then, the man walked behind Sam, stabbing him in the back with a knife.

"No!" Dean shouted, matching my stride as we ran.

The man visibly twisted the knife before roughly pulling it out, running away. Bobby immediately took off towards him as Sam let out a gasp, falling to his knees. Dean slid on the ground in front of his brother, holding him up by his jacket. Sam's eyes fluttered as he fell onto Dean's shoulder.

"Whoa, Sam. Sam! Hey! Hey, come here." Dean murmured. I dropped to my knees next to him, reaching around Sam's back, placing a hand on the wound. My hand shook when I pulled it back, seeing that it was completely covered in blood.

"It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, alright?" Dean lied, holding Sam upright. I quickly placed a hand on Sam's cheek, holding his head steady as it wobbled.

"It's gonna be okay, Shorty." I whispered, stroking his cheek with my thumb as tears streamed down my face.

"We're gonna patch you up, okay? You'll be good as new. Huh? I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take you care of you. I've got you." Dean muttered, clutching his baby bother to him. "That's my job, right? Watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother?"

Just then, I saw the light fade out of Sam's eyes and his whole body slumped forward into Dean's arms.

"No. No, no." Dean muttered. I stared blankly for a moment, not believing what I'd just seen. When everything finally hit me not even a few seconds later, I fell back onto the ground, sobbing as Dean cried, rocking Sam in his arms.

In the blink of an eye, Sam was gone.

* * *

 ***** **à la Dean's stressed voice* "SAAAAAAM!"  
**

 **Both this one and the last chapter are a little short. I could've put them together, but I sort of felt like that would ruin it.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	23. All Hell Breaks Loose Part II

_Screaming on the inside  
I am frail and withered  
Cover up the wounds that I can't hide  
Walls that lie between us  
The saint is in the sinner  
I have lost the nerve  
But it's alright  
Carry the wounded and shut your eyes  
All will be forgiven  
None will rise  
Bury the fallen and lead the blind  
I have found the lost  
Dead inside  
_… _._

 _Leave me at the bottom  
I am lost forever  
Letters from the dead  
Say goodbye  
Sorrow falls upon us  
This will be the last time  
Days begin to end  
But I'll get by  
Follow the hopeless and shut your eyes  
All will be abandoned  
None will shine  
Gather the broken and leave this life  
Lying in the earth  
Side by side  
_… _.._

 _I'll keep you inside  
Where I lead you cannot follow  
Straight into the night  
As my breath grows still and shallow_

 _Into the nothing_ _  
_ _Faded and weary_  
 _I won't leave and let you fall behind_  
 _Live for the dying_  
 _Heaven hear me_  
 _I know we can make it out alive_

 _Stay with me  
You're all I have left  
I know we can make it out alive  
Stay with me  
You're all I have left _

_**Breaking Benjamin – Into The Nothing**_

* * *

The night had passed us in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. We hadn't talked much, there was nothing to say. Sam was gone. After so many years of promising to keep him safe, we'd let him down.

Needing some fresh air for a little while, I came outside, sitting on the porch steps of the small, abandoned house, trying my hardest to not think of the scene inside as the sun poured down on me. I knew where Dean was, sitting at the table staring down at Sam's lifeless body.

The images of Sam falling to his knees in front of Dean, the life slowly leaving his eyes, kept replaying in my mind. I couldn't stop it.

Hearing the low rumble of Bobby's car as he pulled in front of the house, I looked up to see him stepping out with a bucket of chicken in his hand.

"How's Dean?" He asked, walking up in front of me.

"I don't know. We haven't spoken." I shrugged, nodding to the bucket. "I really doubt he's gonna eat either, but you can try."

"You want some?"

"No."

"'Course not." Bobby sighed. "Well, if you don't want anything, he won't either. But I'll see what I can do." I nodded, looking back down to the ground, listening to Bobby's footsteps as he made his way inside. "Dean? Brought you this back."

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Dean muttered.

"You should eat something."

"I said, I'm fine."

With a sigh, I got up and decided to head back inside, the heat of the sun burning down on my skin finally getting to me. Not that it mattered. Just as I entered, I saw Dean take a swig from the flask beside him before throwing it back down to the table.

I kept my eyes straight, trying my hardest to not let them drift into the next room where Sam laid.

"Dean... I hate to bring this up, I really do." Bobby stared, glancing over at me before returning his gaze to Dean. "But don't you think maybe it's time...we bury Sam?"

"No."

"We could...maybe-"

"What? Torch his corpse? Not yet." Dean said, shaking his head.

"I want you to come with me." Bobby said. "You and Tori."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Dean, please."

"Would you cut me some slack?" Dean snapped.

"I just don't think you two should be alone, that's all. I gotta admit, I could use your help." Bobby said. "Something big is going down. End-of-the world big."

"Well, then let it end!" Dean said, raising his voice.

"You don't mean that." Bobby muttered. Dean quickly stood to his feet, walking in front of Bobby.

"You don't think so? Huh? You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, you'd turn around, and get the hell out of here." Bobby just shook his head, staring blankly at Dean. With a huff, Dean pushed Bobby back a bit. "Go!"

A few moments of silence passed between us when an apologetic look crossed Dean's face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, just go."

"You know where I'll be." Bobby turned to me with a sigh. "You coming?"

I looked back over to Dean, seeing the look on his face as he glanced up at me. "Do you- do you want me to go?"

"You can do whatever the you want." Dean said, looking back down.

"I, uh- I'm gonna stay." I muttered.

"Okay. Call if you need me." Bobby said, finally leaving the room. I stood where I was until heard the sound of Bobby's car driving away. I went over to the table, sitting down across from Dean, keeping my hand in front of my eyes so I wouldn't look over at Sam.

Dean grabbed his flask, taking another swig. When he set it back down, I grabbed it, taking a long gulp. I closed my eyes as the liquor stung my throat, pulling in a deep breath.

Seconds turned into minutes, the minutes turned into hours and before I knew it, it was pitch black outside. I still sat in the same position, my head in my hands as I stared blankly across the table. Dean hadn't said anything, but I didn't expect him to.

I could only imagine what was going through his head right now.

"Dean?" I called, looking up at him.

"What?"

"What are we doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it really right to- to leave him like this?"

"You better not be saying what I think you are." Dean said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I just-"

"That's not happening, dammit!" Dean yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. I flinched at the volume of his voice, looking down to the table. "If that's what you're gonna say, then you can just get the hell out, too."

"I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah, well, you're not." Dean scoffed. "Just go."

"I know you're upset, Dean. I know. But you can't take your anger out on me." I muttered, staring up at him, trying to fight back my tears. "I lost Sam, too."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Dean's entire expression changed to one of sadness and despair as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I just- I just need to be alone for a little while. I'm sorry, really."

"Alright. I know." I nodded, heading back outside. Once on the steps, I finally allowed the tears to flow from my eyes, the sobs wracking my body as I sank back down, holding my head in my hands.

After some time had passed, I was about to go back in and check on Dean when I heard his quiet voice through the walls.

"You know, when we were little – and you couldn't been more than five – you just started asking questions. How come we didn't have a mom? Why do we always have to move around? Where'd Dad go when he'd take off for days at a time? I remember I begged you, _quit asking, Sammy. Man, you don't want to know."_  
"I just wanted you to be a kid...just for a little while longer. I always tried to protect you...keep you safe...Dad didn't even have to tell me. It was just always my responsibility, you know? It's like I had one job...I had one job...and I screwed it up." Dean paused, sniffling. "I blew it. And for that, I'm sorry. I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. How can I- how am I supposed to live with that?"

"What am I supposed to do? Sammy. God. What am I supposed to do!?" Dean yelled, sending a chill down my spine.

As much as it scared me, I knew exactly what needed to be done. For Dean, for Sam. For the family I loved too much to be selfish.

 _You're special._ The yellow-eyed demon's voice rang through my tears. _Your life for Sam's, now that's a very temping offer._

I took a deep breath, wiping the tears from my cheeks, standing to my feet as I started walking down the empty street. I couldn't take the car, the keys were inside and I didn't want Dean to know where I was going. But I remembered passing it when we drove over here. It wasn't very far away, so I knew it wouldn't be a long walk.

With every step, I talked myself into it more and more, not allowing my fear to get in the way. All I had to keep thinking was that Sam would be alive, Dean would be happy and I would have more than enough time left to see them together again.

That was all I needed.

* * *

 **CROSSROADS – NIGHT**

With my bare hands, I dug out the small hole in the ground, placing the box inside before covering it back up. My stomach flopped as I stood upright, seeing a woman with long, dark hair in a black dress standing there, a smirk on her red lips.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" She asked, her eyes flashing red before me. "What can I do for you, angel?"

I let out a shaky breath, looking down to the ground. "You know what I want."

"You want to make a deal."

"Yes."

"Bring back poor little Sam so you don't have to see your love suffer anymore over the loss of his baby brother? Is that right?" She asked patronizingly, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I completely understand why. Dean is acting pathetic right now, though he wears it so well. It's kind of a turn on to see him cry."

Anger surged through me, and I took a step towards her. "Listen bitch, for some reason you demons want me. _Bad_. So, are you gonna keep talking or are we gonna do this? Because right now I can just walk, remember that."

"Okay, okay. Calm down, now." She muttered quickly, holding her hands up. "Let's talk business."

"Bring Sam back in exchange for-"

"Your instant death."

"My what?" I asked, my eyes widening as I stared over at her. "No, I get ten years. That's how this works."

"True. But you're right, you are a very wanted woman."

"Fine." I nodded, letting out a heavy breath. "Eight. Eight years."

"Eight?" The demon scoffed. "No way."

"That or nothing."

"Not even for Sammy?"

"Okay, okay." I paused, closing my eyes. "Five. Five years, or nothing at all."

She thought it over for a minute, a small smile spreading across her lips as I heard the faint sound of an engine speeding down the road behind me. "Well, this just got very interesting."

I furrowed my brow, looking behind me to see the headlights of the Impala coming closer. My eyes widened and I whipped back around to face her, my breathing starting to pick up. "Come on. Please."

"Look at that. A saint begging a sinner."

"I swear-"

"Fine. Five years." She smirked, tapping a finger on her blood red lips. "Seal it with a kiss, sweetheart."

"Tori, no!" Dean yelled out, his rushed footsteps coming closer. I didn't even look back at him, quickly pulling the demon to me, pushing my lips against hers with a grimace. I trembled, stepping back from her, staring into her glowing red eyes as my stomach turned over harshly.

Suddenly, Dean grabbed my shoulders, turning me around. "What did you do?!"

"It's okay." I muttered, trying not to gag. "It's okay, Dean."

"What the fuck did you do?!" Dean shouted at me, quickly turning back to the demon as she walked away. "No, you stay right there. Don't go anywhere."

"I don't take orders from you." She spat.

"Dean, listen to me, it's okay." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking as I held onto the tops of his arms. "It's okay. Sam's gonna come back."

"You sold your- for- for Sam?" Dean asked, his eyes going wide. "Why?"

"Dean, you already lost your Dad. And this time I can- this time I can do something. I won't let you lose Sam, too. It won't happen, not if I can help it. You need your brother, Dean." I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I need you!" Dean yelled, holding my arms for a moment before pushing me away as he turned back to the demon. "New deal."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "What?"

"Dean, stop it." I hissed, trying to pull him back as he ignored me, shaking my hands off.

"You bring Sam back, forget everything about Tori."

"In exchange for what? You don't have anything that valuable."

"My soul."

"That's hilarious." The demon laughed, folding her arms. "You think your soul is more valuable than _hers_? Please."

"Dean, stop it right now." I said, turning to the demon. "We're done here."

"Okay, then." She nodded, turning away.

"Wait." Dean called, his voice desperate. "Please, what do I have to do?"

"First of all, quit groveling." The demon said, looking as though she was thinking something over for a moment when a strange look came into her eyes. "Look, I shouldn't be doing this. I could get in a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I got a blind spot for you, Dean. You're like a puppy. Just too fun to play with."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we're leaving." I said, pulling Dean's arm. Suddenly I was pushed to the ground, the demon holding her hand out to me as I strained against her invisible grip.

"Wait a second, _baby_. The adults are having a conversation."

"You fucking bitch." I hissed, looking up to Dean. "Stop, please."

"Will you do it?" He asked her, ignoring me again.

"I will." The demon nodded, a smirk on her face as she held up a finger. "But there's a catch. You know, gotta read the fine print and all."

"What is it?"

"Victoria is _very_ valuable. So, if I was going to make a trade like that, well...I'd need my payment pretty quickly."

"Wha-"

"But since I'm a such nice little girl, I'll give you _some_ time." She said, a small smile on her face as I heart dropped. "One year."

"Dean, please." I muttered, feeling the panic rise in my chest as I stared up at him. "Don't do it."

"Just one?" Dean asked, a slight tinge of sadness and fear covering his voice.

"It's a fire sale and everything must go."

"If I do it, Sam comes back and Tori doesn't have to go to hell?"

"Right. But if you try and welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Sam drops dead and Victoria gets sent to the pit. He's back to rotting meat, her skin starts pealing off layer by layer." She muttered. I saw Dean flinch back at her words, staring down at the ground. "Listen kid, it's a better deal than your Dad ever got. What do you say?"

"Dean, you better not fucking do this!" I yelled, my voice cracking as I screamed. "I swear to God, Dean! Don't you fucking-"

"I have to." Dean mumbled, pulling her to him roughly as he placed his lips on hers.

"No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, watching the demon back up a few feet, a smirk on her face as she disappeared from sight.

The pressure finally released from me and I quickly stood to my feet, pushing Dean back as tears streamed down my face.

"What is wrong with you?! I had five years, Dean! _Five_! I don't know about you, but I wasn't even planning on living that long because of our stupid lives!"

"I couldn't sit back and let you die to save Sam." Dean said, sounding numb.

"Oh, but I can sit back and watch _you_ die!?"

"I can't let you go to hell, Tori!" He shouted suddenly. "I can't live with that, with you gone...knowing there was something I could have done about it."

"But I'm supposed to let that happen to _you_? I'm supposed to live without you?!" I yelled, fighting him as he tried to pull me close. "How is that okay, Dean? How?!"

"You're stronger than I am, you know you are." Dean muttered. "You can live without me."

"I'm not. I- I can't." I mumbled, my voice clouded with emotion as I gave in, allowing me to pull me into his arms.

"You are." Dean said, running a hand through my hair. "We have to go."

Dean brought me back to the Impala, placing me into the passenger seat as I started to feel myself grow numb. Even after we'd gotten back to the house, I still just sat there, staring straight ahead.

"Sam can't know."

"What?" I asked, his voice breaking me out of my trance.

"Sam can't know what happened,"

"How can we not tell him about this?"

"Please. He- he can't. Come on, Tor." Dean said, getting out of the car. I followed along, walking slowly behind him as he entered the house. "Sammy?"

"In here." Sam called. I had to admit, through my confusion and sadness, hearing Sam's voice made me feel a little bit better.

We entered the bedroom, finding Sam standing in front of one of the mirrors, examining his back where there was a large scar from the knife. Dean sighed in relief, hugging his brother tightly.

"Ow." Sam muttered, shooting Dean a weird look as he pulled back. I slowly walked over to Sam, my eyes wide as I stared at him. Even though I knew all that deal stuff did work, I still couldn't believe he was alive. "What's wrong?"

"N- nothing." I mumbled, forcing a smile on my face as I hugged him.

"We're just- we're just happy to see you up and around, that's all." Dean said, going over to the table. "Come on, sit down."

"Okay." Sam nodded, sitting down. "What happened to me?"

"Well, what do you remember?"

"I saw you and Tori and Bobby, and...I felt this pain. This sharp pain, like...white-hot, you know?" Sam said, looking between Dean and I. "And then you started running at me, and...that's about it."

"Yeah, that- that kid, stabbed you in the back. You lost a lot of blood. It was pretty touch and go for awhile."

"But Dean, you can't- you can't patch up a wound that bad." Sam said, looking up to me for some clarity. I shrugged, not able to speak, afraid I would just cry.

"No, Bobby could." Dean said, noticing how I was acting. "Who was that kid, anyway?"

"His name's Jake. Did you get him?"

"No, he disappeared into the woods."

"We got to find him, Dean. And I swear I'm gonna tear that son of a bitch apart." Sam said, standing up.

"Whoa. Easy, _Van Damme_. You just woke up, alright? Let's get you something to eat. Huh? You want something to eat?" Dean asked, to which Sam nodded. "Aright. I'm starving. Come on."

Dean headed out to the car, glancing back at Sam and I as he went. Sam glanced over at me. I could tell he was about to ask what was wrong, so I didn't give him the chance, leaving before he could say anything.

* * *

 **RESTAURANT – DAY**

When we got into the booth, Dean ordered a pizza and a few soda's. I knew I wasn't going to have anything. I couldn't make myself eat right now. I glanced over at Dean, watching everything he did closely, barely even registering the fact that Sam was speaking.

In one year's time, I wouldn't see him anymore.

"Is something on my face?" Dean asked, looking over at me.

I shook my head to clear it, blinking my eyes a few times. "What?"

"Staring is rude, you know. Eat some pizza." Dean said, putting a plate in front of me.

"I'm not hungry." I mumbled, pushing the plate away. Sam stared over at me, obviously picking up on the fact that something was wrong.

"So, then she killed Andy?" Dean asked.

"Andy? Andy Gallagher?" I asked, looking over at Sam.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Ava went nuts and killed nearly every person who showed up in that town."

"Oh my god."

"The demon said he only wanted one of us to walk out alive."

"He told you that?" Dean asked.

"Yup." Sam scoffed. "He appeared in a dream."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "You know what was really weird? After he finished talking to me, he said he had to _pay my sister a visit_. Did you- did you see anything Tori?"

"I had a dream. He was in it. It wasn't good, and I don't wanna talk about it." I muttered quickly, not wanting to think about any of the last forty-eight hours.

"But-"

"Sam, please?"

"O- okay."

"Did he tell you anything else?" Dean asked.

"No. That was it. Nothing else. You know, what I don't get, is if the demon only wanted one of us, then how did Jake and I both get away?"

"Well, I mean, they left you for dead. I'm sure they thought it was over." Dean said, shoving a bite of pizza in his mouth. "So now that Yellow Eyes has Jake, what's he gonna do with him?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, we got to stop him."

"Well, hold on. You need to get your rest. We got time."

"No, we don't."

"Sam, oceans aren't boiling, okay? Frogs aren't raining from the sky. Let's get you your strength back first."

"Well, did you call the roadhouse? They know anything?" Sam asked, looking between Dean and I, noticing the looks on our faces. "What is it?"

"The roadhouse burned to the ground." Dean muttered. "Ash is dead. Probably Ellen – a lot of other hunters, too."

"Demons?" Sam asked, tears forming in his eyes.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Ash found something."

"What did he find?"

"Bobby's trying to figure that out."

"Well, come on then. Bobby's only a few hours away." Sam said, starting to stand. Dean placed his hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down.

"You almost died in there. I mean, what would I- can't you just take care of yourself for a little bit, huh? Just for a little bit?"

"I'm sorry. No." Sam said, walking to the front of the restaurant.

* * *

 **SINGER HOUSE – DAY**

I could tell Sam was starting to get more suspicious of why I wasn't talking on the ride over to Bobby's. The whole time, I managed to not say one word, keeping to myself in the backseat. I feared that if I started speaking, I would probably cry and then Sam would find out and Dean would be angry at me. I just didn't want him to get upset. Not now.

Once we made it to Bobby's, Sam knocked on the door. Bobby opened it, taking in Sam with astonishment.

"Hey, Bobby."

"Sam. It's good to...see you up and around." Bobby muttered, swallowing hard.

"Yeah. Thanks for patching me up." Sam patted Bobby on the shoulder, walking past him into the house.

"Don't mention it." Bobby said, looking back to Dean and I with a hard glare.

"Well Sam's better." Dean said stiffly. "And we're back in it now, so...what do you know?"

"Well, I found something. But I'm not sure what the hell it means." Bobby said, shutting the door behind Dean and I.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Demonic omens like a fuckin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths. Lightning storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere. Here." Bobby said, pointing to the map spread out on his desk. "All around here, except for one place...Southern Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. That one area's totally clean – spotless. It's almost as if the demons are surrounding it."

"But you don't know why?"

"No, and by this point my eyes are swimming." Bobby said, glancing over at me before looking to Sam. "Sam, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something I couldn't."

"Yeah, sure."

"Dean, Vic, I got some books out in the car. Help me lug 'em in?"

"Okay." I nodded, following Bobby outside over to his car.

When I noticed he wasn't opening the trunk, I looked up at him, seeing that he was staring down at us, his eyes hard. "You stupid ass! What did you do?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Tell me the truth. One of you made a deal."

"Bobby-"

"It's all my fault." I said, interrupting Dean.

"Wait, what?"

"It is."

"That's ridiculous."

"Could you two stop bickering and fill me in here?" Bobby snapped.

"I- I couldn't stand seeing Dean the way he was anymore and I- I knew there was something I could do. So I went to a crossroads. The demon, she would make the deal and give me five years in exchange for Sam." I explained, feeling the tears fall from my eyes.

"Five years?" Bobby asked, worry filling his eyes.

"Dean came and made another deal."

"And?"

"He's only got a year, Bobby." I cried, throwing my head into my hands, finally letting the tears I'd been holding in escape.

"Damn it, Dean." Bobby shook his head.

"Which is why we gotta find this yellow-eyed son of a bitch. That's why I'm gonna kill him myself. I mean, I got nothing to lose now, right?" Dean asked.

"I could throttle you!"

"What, and send me downstairs ahead of schedule?" Dean asked, his tone light, like it was no big deal. I lost control of my temper at that, pushing him up against the side of the car, holding him there with my hands on his chest.

"What is wrong with you!?" I shouted, tears flowing down my cheeks.

"Tori, calm down."

"This isn't funny, Dean!"

"Tori, stop." Dean said, his voice calm. He tried to pry my hands off as Bobby tried to pull me away from him. I shook off Bobby's hands, stepping away from Dean with a huff.

"What is it with you Winchesters, huh?" Bobby asked. You, your dad. You're both just itching to throw yourselves down the pit."

"That's my point. Dad brought me back. I'm not even supposed to be here. At least this way, something good could come out of it, you know? I- it's like my life could mean something."

"Like it didn't before?" I asked, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"Have you got that low of an opinion of yourself? Are you that screwed in the head?!" Bobby yelled, grabbing Dean by his collar.

"I couldn't let him die, Bobby. And I couldn't let Tori go to hell. I couldn't." Dean muttered, getting choked up.

"Yeah? Well, how do you think Tori feels now? How is your brother gonna feel when he knows your going to hell? How'd _you_ feel when you knew your dad went for you?"

"You can't tell him. You take a shot at me, whatever you got to do, but please don't tell him."

For the first time in a long time, I saw Bobby start crying as he released Dean's shirt, grabbing his chin, staring down at him. Suddenly, a clank sounded across the junkyard, catching our attention. We made our way over to the noise, stopping beside a door-less car.

Dean and I reached in at the same time from both sides, grabbing the person. Once I had her in my arms, I realized who it was.

"Ellen?" I watched as she nodded, starting to cry. I pulled her to me, hugging her tightly. "Oh, my god."

* * *

After bringing Ellen back inside, I sat down at the table with her and Bobby, watching as he poured holy water into a shot glass, pushing it over to her.

"Bobby, is this really necessary?" She asked, glancing up at him.

"Just a belt of Holy Water. Shouldn't hurt."

Ellen drank all the water, placing the glass back down. "Whiskey now, if you don't mind."

"How did you get out?" I asked, looking up at her.

"I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else." She scoffed, shaking her head. "But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck. Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes."

"Sorry, Ellen." Sam muttered from across the room.

"A lot of good people died in there. And I got to live. Lucky me." Ellen muttered, tears in her eyes. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shooting her a small smile as she put an arm around my waist, leaning into me.

"Ellen, you mentioned a safe." Bobby said.

"A hidden safe we keep in the basement."

"Demon's get what was in it?"

"No." Ellen shook her head, puling a map from her pocket, unfolding it and setting it down on the table. I peered over at it, seeing that it was just a regular map with several black lines and X's placed on it.

"Wyoming. What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"Hang on." Bobby muttered, going over to his bookshelf, grabbing one before coming back over with it. We all watched as he flipped through it, reading a few pages before setting it down. "I don't believe it."

"What? You got something?" Sam asked.

"A lot more than that. Each of these X's is an abandoned frontier church – all mid-nineteenth century. And all of them built by Samuel Colt."

" _Samuel Colt?_ The demon-killing, gun-making Samuel Colt?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yep. And there's more. He built private railway lines connecting church to church. It just happens to lay out like this." Bobby said, taking a marker, drawing in the missing lines until a star was made.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's a devil's trap." I muttered.

"A hundred-square mile devil's trap." Sam mumbled, shaking his head in astonishment.

"That's brilliant." Dean said. "Iron lines demons can't cross."

"I've never heard of anything that massive." Ellen said.

"No one has." Bobby shrugged.

"And after all these years none of the lines are broken?" Dean asked. "I mean, it still works?"

"Definitely" Sam nodded.

"How do you know?"

"All those omens Bobby found. I mean the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."

"Yeah, well...they're trying."

"Why?" Ellen wondered. "What's inside?"

"That's what I've been looking for. And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle." Dean said.

"Well what's so important about a cemetery or...what's Colt trying to protect?" Sam asked.

A long moment of silence passed before I pulled in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "What if he wasn't trying to keep something out? What if he was trying to keep something in?"

"Now that's a comforting thought." Ellen muttered.

"Could they do it, Bobby?" Sam asked. "Could they get inside?"

"This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it. No way a full-blood demon gets across."

"No, but I know who could."

* * *

 **CEMETERY – NIGHT**

We all hid in the cemetery, watching Jake break open the gate, walking over towards the crypt. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go out there and kill him myself, but I stayed back, keeping as calm as possible.

"Howdy, Jake." Sam muttered, stepping out from behind a tree, Bobby and Ellen by his side, each of their guns raised.

"Wait...you were dead. I killed you." Jake muttered, taken a-back.

"Yeah? Well next time, finish the job."

"I did! I cut clean through your spinal cord, man." Sam glanced over at Dean, who quickly looked to the ground, his eyes full of guilt. "You can't be alive. You can't be."

"Okay, just take it real easy there, son." Bobby said.

"And if I don't?"

"Wait and see." Sam threatened.

"What, you a tough guy all of a sudden? What are you gonna do, kill me?"

"It's a thought."

"You had your chance. You couldn't."

"I won't make that mistake twice." Sam said. Jake stared at him for a moment, then started laughing.

"What are you smiling at, you little bitch?" Dean spat.

"Hey lady, do me a favor. Put that gun to your head." Jake said. I watched in horror as Ellen lifted her gun, pressing the barrel of it to her temple. "See that Ava girl was right. Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn."

"Let her go." Sam said through gritted teeth.

"Shoot him." Ellen told him.

"You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off. Everybody, put your guns down. Except you, sweetheart." Jake said. I opened my hand, the gun quickly falling onto the ground along with everyone else's. "Okay. Thank you."

Jake pulled the Colt out of his pocket, going over to the crypt to insert it. Bobby and Dean held Ellen's arms down as I grabbed the gun from her, watching Sam as he shot Jake four times in the back.

"Please...don't. Please." Jake pleaded from the ground.

Sam stood over him, shooting him three more times in the chest. The four of us made our way over to him as he wiped the blood off his face. I stared at him with wide eyes, knowing how unlike him all of that was.

Just then, two of the engravings on the crypt started spinning in different directions, stopping abruptly.

"Oh, no." Bobby muttered.

"What is it?" Ellen asked, glancing up at Bobby as Dean went over to get the Colt. I held onto my stomach as it churned, trying not to get sick as the feeling took over me.

"It- it's hell." I said, my voice quiet as I stared at the crypt, almost not able to look away.

"What?" Dean asked, looking over at me with wide eyes. "How do you know that?"

"Take cover, now!" Bobby shouted, as doors started shaking, ready to burst. He pulled Ellen behind a tombstone with him for shelter. Dean noticed I wasn't about to move, quickly grabbing me, shoving me behind a tombstone with him as the doors flew open.

A huge cloud of black smoke erupted from the crypt, shooting out into the sky. I started to gag, letting out a cry as my head spun and my stomach turned more violently than ever. It almost felt as thought someone was stabbing me.

"Tori!" Dean called, trying to get me too look at him, though I couldn't seem to keep my eyes focused on anything. "What the hell just happened?!"

"That's a devil's gate. A damn door to hell!" Ellen shouted over the gusts of wind swirling around us. "Come on! We gotta shut that gate!"

"If the demon gave this to Jake... then maybe…" Dean checked the bullets in the Colt, glancing up at me. Thunder crashed in the distance, lightning lighting up the sky as the Yellow-eyed demon appeared behind Dean.

"Dean!" I called. He turned just as the demon took the Colt from his hand.

"Boys shouldn't play with Daddy's guns." He smirked, throwing Dean across the graveyard. I watched in horror as Dean landed, hitting his head on a tombstone a few feet away.

"Dean!" Sam called, letting go of the door that he, Ellen and Bobby were trying to close, running over to his brother.

"I'll get to you in a minute, champ." Yellow-eyed said, throwing Sam up against a tree, holding him there. "But I'm proud of you – knew you had it in you. So, Dean, I gotta thank you. You see, demons can't resurrect people, unless a deal is made. I know, red tape – it'll make you nuts. But thanks to you, Sammy's back in rotation."

He paused, glancing over at me. "Actually, I should be thanking you, I suppose. If it weren't for you, Dean wouldn't have done that in the first place."

"Fuck you." I spat, gagging again.

"Now, now." He smiled, looking back to Dean. "Tell me, have you ever heard the expression, _if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is_?"

"You call that deal good?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's a better shake than your dad ever got. And you never wondered why? I'm surprised at you. I mean...you saw what your brother just did to Jake, right? That was pretty cold, wasn't it? How certain are you that what you brought back, is one-hundred percent pure, Sam?" He asked, leaning down to be face to face with Dean. "You of all people should know, that's what's dead, should stay dead."

"Stop!" I shouted, fighting against my nausea to stand up.

"What's that?" Yellow-eyes asked, stepping away from Dean.

"You're a piece of shit, you know that?"

"You've got a real mouth on you." He said, moving over to me. "You did this. You brought Sam back. You killed Dean. You're the one sending him to hell."

"...I know." I muttered, holding back tears.

"Tori, don't listen to him!" Dean exclaimed.

"You're not as strong as you think you are, are you?" He asked, wiping a stray tear off my cheek. "I couldn't have done any of this without you and Dean. Your self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family. I knew I kept you alive for some reason. Until now, anyway."

He glanced between Dean and I, holding up a hand towards me. I immediately felt a searing pain in my stomach, dropping to the ground as I started coughing up blood.

"What are you doing to her!?" Dean shouted.

"Never mind that." He said, lifting the Colt up, aiming it at Dean.

Suddenly, John's spirit appeared, grabbing the demon from behind. The body it was possessing fell to the ground and I watched with wide eyes as John grappled with the cloud of black smoke. Ignoring whatever pain I was in, I crawled over to the body, taking the Colt out of his hand.

Just as I threw the gun to Dean, the demon tossed John to the ground, possessing the body again. He grabbed me by the shoulders, tossing me across the graveyard.

The sound of a gun cocking echoed through the night air. I watched as Dean pulled the trigger, shooting the demon straight in the heart and he fell to the ground, dead.

Once they shut the crypt, Bobby came over with Ellen by his side, the both of them helping me up off the ground. Dean stood to his feet as John walked over to him with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. Sam came over then, standing near John and Dean, all of them with tears in their eyes.

John glanced over at me, nodding with a smile as a bright light shined down from the sky, enveloping him. I felt that familiar peaceful feeling wash over me, and suddenly all my nausea and stomach pains were completely gone. And when I looked back up, so was John.

I broke away from Bobby and Ellen, feeling well enough to walk over to the boys on my own. Dean wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me as I leaned into him, the three of us standing over the demon's body.

"Well, check _that_ off the to-do list." Dean muttered, laughing lightly.

"You did it." Sam breathed in astonishment.

"I didn't do it alone."

"Do you think Dad really- do you think he really climbed out of hell?"

"The door was open. If anyone's stubborn enough to do it...it would be him."

"Where do you think he is now?"

"Wherever he is, he's at peace." I murmured quietly, looking up a the boys as they stared down at me questioningly.

"How do you know?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I just do."

"I kind of can't believe it. I mean...our whole lives, everything...has been prepping for this, and now I-" Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "I kind of don't know what to say."

"I do." Dean said, leaning closer to the body. "That was for our mom...you son of a bitch."

* * *

 **IMPALA – NIGHT**

We double and triple checked the crypt, making absolutely sure that it was completely shut before the five of us made our way out of the cemetery, slowly heading back to the Impala to get the hell out of here.

"How do you feel?" Dean asked, making sure to keep him arm around me the whole way even though I'd insisted that I was fine.

"Okay."

Sam glanced down, watching me. "What did- what did he do to you?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" Dean asked.

"I'm never going to another hospital as long as I live." I muttered, pulling in a deep breath. "I'm fine."

"You know, when Jake saw me...it was like he saw a ghost." Sam said, scoffing. "I mean, hell, you heard him. He said he killed me."

"Glad he was wrong." Dean said, opening the door for me.

"I don't think he was, Dean." Sam paused, looking between Dean and I. "What happened? After I was stabbed?"

"We already told you."

"Not everything."

"Sam, we just killed the demon. Can we celebrate for a minute?"

"Did I die?"

"Oh, come on-"

"Did I die?" Sam repeated, looking more to me for the answer than Dean. I glanced up at Dean, swallowing hard as I looked back to Sam.

"Sam-"

"Did one of you- did you sell your soul for me? Like Dad did for you?"

"Oh, come on! No!" Dean exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Dean, tell me the truth." Sam said, seeing through him in an instant. "How long do you get?"

"One year. I got one year."

"That's why you've been so quiet." Sam muttered, looking over at me with tears in his eyes. "You knew."

"Yeah." I nodded, glancing down as the tears feel down my cheeks. I couldn't stand the way he was looking at me right now.

"Why did you let him do that?"

"There was nothing she could've done, Sam." Dean interjected. "I had to. I had to look out for you. That's my job."

I noticed how he completely left out the part where I was the one who made him do this. Sam needed to know everything, he needed to know this was my fault.

"And what do you think my job is?"

"What?"

"You've saved my life over and over. I mean, you sacrifice everything for me. Don't you think I'd do the same for you? You're my big brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. And I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna get you out of this." Sam said. "Guess I gotta save your ass for a change."

"Yeah."

"Well...Yellow-Eyed Demon might be dead, but a lot more got through that gate." Ellen said, walking over to us.

"How many you think?"

"Hundred. Maybe two hundred. It's an army." Sam said. "He's unleashed an army."

"Hope to hell you kids are ready." Bobby muttered. "'Cause the war has just begun."

"Well, then." Dean smiled, throwing the Colt into the trunk, closing it. "We got work to do."

A nervous feeling flew into the pit of my stomach as I thought of what the future held. Though our future never seemed particularly bright, this time it was completely shadowed by a thick layer of darkness.

I didn't see a single way out of it this time and that scared the hell out of me.

* * *

 **Let me start off by saying a huge thank you to all of you guys who have favorited, followed and reviewed! It means so much to me that you guys really like this story and I seriously can't believe we're already on to s3! Which we all know is the beginning of the truly heartbreaking sadness we call Supernatural (for a Dean-girl like myself, at least)**

 **So with that, look out for the first chapter of _Bring The Rain,_** **which will be posted soon!** **  
**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoyed!**

 **Let's dry each others tears!  
**

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